Everett Mendelsohn was described as “a huge force for good, not only in the history of science but also as a dedicated pacifist, a talented negotiator, and a remarkable mentor and teacher.”
Born October 28, 1931, in Yonkers, New York, Mendelsohn joined Harvard’s History of Science program in 1953 as a graduate student and remained until his 2007 retirement. He earned his Ph.D. in 1960 under Thomas Kuhn and was elected to the Society of Fellows in 1957.
His scholarly work centered on biology’s history during its emergence as a major scientific field. He founded and edited the Journal of the History of Biology, providing a platform for emerging scholars. In 1965, he created an influential upper-level course, “The Social Context of Science,” addressing topics like atomic weapons, eugenics, racism, and genetic engineering.
Beyond academia, Mendelsohn championed peace and disarmament efforts. He visited Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia during the Tet Offensive in late 1967 on behalf of the American Friends Service Committee. He participated in Israeli-Palestinian dialogue initiatives and served as president of the International Council for Science Policy Studies.
He and his wife, Mary B. Anderson, served as joint faculty deans of Dudley House beginning in 1997. Harvard now annually awards the Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Award in his honor.