One of the executive perks at Merck Research Laboratories was a limo for company business. On a beautiful September day in 1980, in my fifth year as head of the laboratories, the limo picked me up at home after lunch. We drove down through the Pine Barrens to the Seaview Resort at Absecon, New Jersey, where all of Merck's senior scientists were gathering for their four-day annual meeting to survey their accomplishments and plan our program for the next year. I left early because I'd arranged a singles match with my colleague Stan Fidelman. There'd be neither time nor space on the tennis courts for singles once the entire group arrived, so a few of us always tried to get together early for some intense competition before the work began. It was also a good occasion to have some private time with Stan, who was a close friend and a very special person in our organization.

As the car headed into southern New Jersey, my mind drifted a bit as I admired the beauty of the landscape and thought about the history of that area. I'd recently read John McPhee's book on the Pine Barrens, which rekindled my interest in seeing them again. But I quickly stopped musing, dug into my pile of reports, one from each of our laboratories, and became completely engrossed in the strategic reviews.