Researcher to speak on DNA study of Jefferson descendants

Dr. Eugene Foster, the retired Charlottesville pathologist who performed DNA tests on descendants of Thomas Jefferson and his slaves, will be the featured speaker at the opening meeting of the University of Virginia Women's Club on Sept. 27.

Foster will give his talk, "The Intersection of Science and History: DNA and the Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings Story," at 8:15 p.m. in Alumni Hall.

Foster, a pathologist at the U.Va. hospital from 1959 to 1976 and a professor emeritus of pathology at Tufts University, traveled around the United States in 1977 to collect blood samples from men who are descendants of Jefferson's slaves. He also tested the DNA of descendants of Jefferson's confirmed relatives, as well as a control group.

The U.Va. Women's Club is open to all women members, wives and widows of the University's faculty, administration, research staff and athletics department. Newcomers to the club are encouraged to arrive at the reception prior to the meeting around 7 p.m.

The club's service groups provide volunteers at several sites, including the University Hospital and Children's Medical Center. Special-interest groups explore such common interests as antiques, books, gardening and golf.

For information, see the club's Web site at www.virginia.edu/~womenclb, or contact president Julie Patterson at 977-2727 or via juliewp1@excite.com.