We might note at the outset that Dr. Scheewind doesn't seem to have suffered any professional disgrace as the result of being willing to entertain our new idea. Indeed, he's been promoted. He had been chair of the Committee on Virology at Chicago. But the October 2004 issue of the University of Chicago Magazine. announced that a new Department of Microbiology had been created. And Dr. Shneewind had been made Department Chairman.          I first came to the conclusion that all viruses are male in 1994 and published it in a newsletter shortly thereafter. I' m a person who has had, for better AND for worse, a great deal of interaction with the popular media. If interested in that sort of thing, you can find a few tidbits from "inside show business," so to speak, on my hime page.            My fate in the show business world often has been to be made fun of. In 1995, to cite one of many incidents, Mrs. Jane Pauley-Trudeau appeared on the Tonight Show with Mr. Jay Leno. Jane complained of having a cold. Since colds are caused by rhinoviruses, Mr. Leno stated that, in order to show the audience what a rhinovirus looks like, they'd show a clip of one. What was actually shown was a clip of a charging rhinoceros, quite possibly an aggressive male.       Were they making fun of me? In that particular instance, I was not quite sure--but I couldn't rule it out. I've seen Jane Pauley twice in public places and the second time she gave me a sort of quizzical look. If she reads this, I hope it will answer any questions she might still have.       After publishing my notion about virus gender in 1994, I talked to two medical people in Indianapolis about the idea. I think they were both associated with Indiana University Medical Center. One was a female medical student; the other person seemed to be faculty or staff who I encountered in the hallways. Both seemed to think the idea was at least reasonable. That was casual conversation, however, and in neither case did I think to get the name of the person. So I couldn't quote them.       That was why I was glad to have the remark from Dr. Schneewind.        I'd tried to be fair with him and had warned him in advance that I might use his quote. His initial reaction was apparently reasonably enthusiastic and he proceeded to discuss the matter with Mr. Steve Koppes who was with public relations at University of Chicago College. In early 2003, Schneewind and I both had conversations about the matter with Mr. John Easton, a Contributing Editor for the University of Chicago Magazine.        But in that time period,  it seemed that someone--I think it may have been Mr. Koppes--threw cold water on the matter. As a result, Schneewind then asked me to withdraw his name from my writing.          CONTINUE ARTICLE
		"My fate in the show business world often has been to be made fun of."
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