President Kennedy and Frances Kelsey, 1962


After signing the Kefauver Harris Drug Amendments on October 10, 1962, President Kennedy presented a pen to those observing the momentous event, including Dr. Frances O. Kelsey. John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 - November 22, 1963) was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his death in 1963. He was the youngest elected to the office, at the age of 43, and the first person born in the 20th century to serve as president. He was the only Catholic president, and is the only president to have won a Pulitzer Prize. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald. He continues to rank highly in public opinion ratings of US presidents. Frances Kathleen Oldham Kelsey (born 24 July 1914) is a pharmacologist, most famous as the reviewer for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who refused to authorize thalidomide for market because she had concerns about the drug's safety. Her concerns proved to be justified when it was proven that thalidomide caused serious birth defects. Kelsey's career intersected with the passage of laws strengthening the FDA's oversight of pharmaceuticals. As a result of her blocking American approval of thalidomide, Kelsey was awarded the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service by President Kennedy, becoming the second woman to receive that award. She finally retired from the FDA in 2005, at age 90, after 45 years of service.


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