Actually, Feynman might not be the best scientist role model to hold up for all-around common sense and decent behavior, particularly where relationships with women are concerned.
He's a great counter-example to stereotype of the absent-minded or socially awkward genius. He was the rare combination of genius level scientist with powerful personal charisma.
It's a bit complicated. From a talk by Danny Hillis [1]:
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The charming side of Richard helped people forgive him for his uncharming characteristics. For example, in many ways Richard was a sexist. Whenever it came time for his daily bowl of soup he would look around for the nearest "girl" and ask if she would fetch it to him. It did not matter if she was the cook, an engineer, or the president of the company. I once asked a female engineer who had just been a victim of this if it bothered her. "Yes, it really annoys me," she said. "On the other hand, he is the only one who ever explained quantum mechanics to me as if I could understand it." That was the essence of Richard's charm.
Oh yes! One of the anecdotes I remember from James Gleick’s _Genius_ was that one of Feynman’s ex-girlfriends kidnapped some memento of his nobel prize to get him to apologize (sorry, a bit hazy on the details, it’s been more than 15 years since I read that).
