Of the three nominees for the 1994 Governor's Award for Excellence in the Sciences, Pennsylvania Gov. Robert P. Casey made the obvious choice.
He picked the surgeon who helped save his life.The governor said Tuesday he would not be here today if not for Dr. Thomas E. Starzl, a pioneer in the field of organ transplants. Starzl didn't actually operate on Casey but sent him a copy of his book "The Puzzle People: Memoirs of a Transplant Surgeon," and the two discussed transplant options over the phone.
Casey said that conversation helped him decide to have a lifesaving heart-liver transplant.