Geniuses in our midst: 2 from area win grants

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, September, 2006 | by Tom Avril

John A. Rich got a cryptic phone call from someone he didn't know, a man who asked if he was alone in his office at Drexel University. D. Holmes Morton received the call at his Lancaster County clinic for Amish and Mennonite children, from someone who was posing as a magazine journalist. Both men realized pretty soon that the unexpected calls last week were not what they seemed.

The two learned they were among this year's 25 MacArthur Fellows, winning what are unofficially called "genius" grants - $500,000 to spend entirely as they see fit. The awards, to be announced today, are handled with such secrecy that recipients do not know they are being considered for the honor until the mysterious phone calls, a few days before the official announcement. "It's a completely surreal...