English: President John F. Kennedy greets members of the President's Panel on Mental Retardation in the White House Rose Garden on October 18, 1961. Kennedy's family was personally affected by the mental retardation of one of his sisters and the President sought to foster into the causes of the condition. Lederberg, who had advised Kennedy on health matters as a member of his transition team, began investigations into the genetics of mental retardation not long after his arrival at Stanford University in 1959 and brought his expertise to the President's newly-formed panel. Lederberg continued to advise policy-makers on mental retardation throughout the 1960s. Lederberg is standing at the far right, with Ribicoff toward the left facing the camera and Stanley in the far back.