Carl Djerassi, a chemist who escaped Nazi Europe, is best known for developing the first human birth control pill, norethisterone, which had a significant societal impact. His personal life was marked by tragedy, including the suicide of his daughter Pamela, which inspired him to create the Djerassi Resident Artists Program to support living artists. Throughout his life, he balanced his scientific contributions with his dedication to the arts, leaving a lasting legacy in both fields.

1. Carl Djerassi
NANO10
Foothill College

2. An Amazing Life
He escaped from Europe with his
mother during World War II and
the Nazi internment of Jewish
citizens across Europe. He
entered the US with his mother
with only $20, which was swindled
from them. He petitioned Eleanor
Roosevelt for a college
scholarship and began his
education in science that would
become a career in chemistry. His
research in steroids led to the
development of a steroid analog,
norethisterone, that would
become the first human birth
control. He later worked at Syntex
and then Stanford, helping to
create more innovation through
the success of his many students.
Carl Djerassi sometime around 2010

3. Pamela Djerassi
Pamela was the older of the two
siblings, and lived in a home on Bear
Gulch Road in Woodside (edge of
La Honda) now next to Neil Young’s
cattle ranch. She was married and
only 28 years old, when suffering
from depression, she committed
suicide in 1979 on the property
adjacent to the SMIP Ranch. Her
death was devastating to Carl, who
decided to set up an artist residency
program to support living artists (his
words). I don’t personally know
anyone who is a survivor of suicide,
meaning a family member related to
a suicide victim. But I can say that
her death was probably the most
significant event in Carl Djerassi’s
life, and affected him profoundly.

4. Dale Djerassi
If you think this guy is a
character you’re right, I have
talked with him many times
and bumped into him at
Robert’s Market. Like his father
he’s an inspired artist, working
mostly in film, and a supporter
of the Djerassi Resident’s Artist
program. He was a true
supporter of Carl’s literature,
plays, and many artist salon’s.
His son Alexander is just a
year older than my son, and
like Devin, he’s an advocate of
environmental issues, using his
law degree, and may be
headed into politics someday.

5. Diane Middlebrook
I met Diane in early 2001 or
sometime around there. She
was a great faculty in
literature and inspired many
young woman at Stanford.
She was probably already sick
when I met her, and she and
Carl spent years traveling to
special treatment centers in
Europe to slow the progress
of her cancer. She died in
2007, and I could feel Carl’s
pain losing her. Like so many
brave people, she pressed on
with her writing while she was
sick, an inspiration to all of us.
Carl and Diane, sometime 2001-2004

6. Syntex
Syntex, founded in 1951,
developed corticosteroids for
dermatology, oral contraceptives,
anti-inflammatory drugs
(Naproxen) , veterinary medicine,
and briefly investigated male
contraception. It was acquired by
Roche in 1994. Just a block from
Gunn High School, I learned to
use HPLC to separate and
quantify organic compounds.
Syntex provided an education in
pharmacology and I briefly
considered a career in R&D in
compounding and formulation of
drugs. The last time I saw Carl I
thanked him for the years I had at
Syntex, I don’t think he knew how
much I gained from those years.

7. Djerassi Resident’s Artist
Program (Woodside CA)
The barn is a favorite place to
gather for salons at Djerassi
Resident's Artist Program. This
octagon structure has views of
Skyline, La Honda, and the
ocean. Studios in the barn are
used for sculpture, metal work,
painting, and other hands-on
artwork. Choreography and
performance art are a key
activity at Djerassi, and open
space allows artists to meet and
talk, share ideas, and provide
critique. I’ve spent a number of
fun afternoons in the barn,
watching art I would never have
been exposed to, and meeting
interesting people.

8. Birth Control
The second half of the 20th
Century was one of rapid technical
innovation. Plastics and polymers,
nuclear energy, satellites and
space flight, and vaccines for polio.
But nothing has had a societal
impact like oral contraception,
which gave women the individual
right to control fertility, and family
planning. Today population
remains the single biggest
challenge to the planet, for food,
water, energy, and environmental
impact. Safe and effective birth
control provides an element of
control in our individual and
collective lives, and a means to
affect our impact on the planet.

9. Wisdom from Carl
My first conversations with Carl
were in 1996-1997, in the kitchen
of the Djerassi ranch. We split the
majority of a bottle of really good
red wine, talked about chemistry,
the Internet, and his work at
Stanford. He is probably the
smartest person I have ever met,
and I feel privileged to have been
part of the Djerassi family, from
my years at Syntex to working with
Djerassi Resident’s Artist Program
and attending plays and salons. I
briefly spoke with Carl about
climate change, and while he
seemed interested, I was surprised
he’d never really looked into it. I
had no idea of the chemistry and
inventive brilliance of this man, all
that he helped invent, and his
reflection on how science and
technology affect society.

10. Sculpture at the entrance to Djerassi Ranch
Carl Djerassi dedicated the last 35 years of his life to supporting artists, a
memory to Pamela, and developing an artists community in Woodside. I
hope you are at rest Carl, and thank you for the privilege of knowing you.
Sculpture by Bruce Johnson at Djerassi Resident Artists Program