Deborah Runkle is retiring from AAAS, effective December 2020. For more than 20 years, Deborah has been the liaison between the ABA (specifically SciTech) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the oldest, continuously operating scientific support and trade organization in the U.S. AAAS effectively advocates for science—even against lawyers!—and Deborah has done the same. She is such a legend in our field that trying to describe her influence is like trying to describe the moon’s influence on the night.
January 13, 2021 Feature
Deborah Runkle of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Is Retiring
Deborah is not large and imposing, but she is indomitable. Whatever rumors you have heard about her, they are all true . . .and not. Some of us were warned that she is difficult, unbending, arrogant in her position, doesn’t give an inch, and more. New SciTech officers were intimidated dealing with her at first. But we all found the truth of Deborah much more nuanced, more wonderful, than we expected. First surprise, her sense of humor is dry but immediate. You cannot escape her comic influence. She is difficult, when you don’t listen! When you do listen, she is helpful, collaborative, and strategic. Her “arrogance” is not arrogance at all; it is a deep knowledge of the science and the ability to communicate, traits she inherited from her father (a famous science journalist and author). Again, just listen first. She can be incredibly creative, trying to find solutions to proposed ABA positions that science will support. She absolutely will bend in ways that do not sacrifice common sense. She will help develop positions so that our Section represents the ABA and educates other lawyers, sometimes avoiding embarrassing positions. She also is a deep and trustworthy friend, to our Section and individuals in it.
On numerous occasions, an ABA Section has proposed a resolution severely restricting animal testing, a process already heavily regulated. Deborah analyzed the language each time and calmly explained exactly how that would prevent new drugs and products from reaching consumers, or how it would make them more dangerous. With our delegates armed with that knowledge, those resolutions failed. Another time a Section proposed a resolution to give chimpanzees “person” status, and it had support from other Sections. Again, Deborah helped develop a list of consequences that prevented that resolution from passing. She was not always, “seek and destroy.” Many times she helped us amend a proposed resolution, so it did make sense. She has been doing this so long that her knowledge of the ABA and how it works is almost encyclopedic.
For some odd reason the song from Sound of Music, “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” keeps running through our heads. The song, sung primarily by nuns in the abbey, describes perfectly wonderful traits of young Maria as “not a credit to the Abbey!” No, Deborah has never been called a “flibbertijibbet! A will o’ the wisp! A clown!” Although she can be laugh-out-loud funny. But many of her perfectly wonderful traits can put an overly cocky lawyer off a bit, until you realize that (1) she really wants to help, and (2) she is the expert, not you. After the Mother Superior hears the nuns, her response is, “Oh, how do you solve a problem like Maria? How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?” Deborah has been a moonbeam for SciTech and the ABA for many years. Deborah, you are wonderful. You are a credit to AAAS. We will miss you dearly. Please do not be a stranger. You are always welcome with us.