| Order 1 | Fifth |
|---|---|
| Title 1 | Chancellor of the University of California San Diego |
| Term start 1 | 1972 |
| Term end 1 | 1980 |
| Predecessor 1 | Herbert York |
| Successor 1 | Richard C. Atkinson |
| Order 2 | 3rd |
| Title 2 | Director of the National Science Foundation |
| Term start 2 | 1969 |
| Term end 2 | 1972 |
| President 2 | Richard Nixon |
| Predecessor 2 | Leland J. Haworth |
| Successor 2 | Guyford Stever |
| Birth date | 22 January 1917 |
| Birth place | Rogers, Texas, USA |
| Death date | 22 February 1999 (aged 82) |
| Death place | San Diego, California, USA |
| Education | Pasadena Junior College Stanford University Reed College Princeton University |
| Profession | Biochemistry |
| Spouse | Nella Amelia Winch (m.1940) Marlene Anderegg DeLuca (1967–1987†) Olga Robles (1997–1999) |
| Blank 1 | Institutions |
| Johns Hopkins University Office of Naval Research National Institute of Health National Science Foundation University of California San Diego | |
| Fields | Biochemistry |
|---|---|
| Workplaces | Johns Hopkins University Office of Naval Research National Institute of Health National Science Foundation University of California San Diego |
| Thesis url | https://www.proquest.com/docview/301853851/ |
| Thesis year | 1943 |
| Doctoral advisor | E. Newton Harvey |
| Notable students | John Woodland Hastings |
| Known for | Editing several symposium valumes (with H. Bentley Glass), including The Chemical Basis of Heredity |
| Awards | Howard N. Potts Medal (1971) |
William David McElroy (22 January 1917 – 17 February 1999) was an American biochemist and academic administrator.
Biography
Early years
McElroy was born to William D. McElroy and Ora Shipley in Rogers, Texas. After graduating from McAllen High School in McAllen, Texas in 1935, he attended Pasadena Junior College in California, and went on to Stanford University on a football scholarship where he received his bachelor's degree in 1937. He earned his master's degree in biology at Reed College and his PhD at Princeton University in 1943.[1]
Career
After college, McElroy became a professor at Johns Hopkins University. He initiated an independent research program in bioluminescence, recruiting students to collect fireflies to perform experiments. He discovered the key role that luciferase and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) play in the process.
He began working with the Office of Naval Research and the National Institute of Health in the 1950s, and became a member of the President's Science Advisory Committee to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. He later became the director of the National Science Foundation from 1969 to 1972. He also served as the president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science from 1975 to 1976. He became chancellor of the University of California San Diego from 1972 to 1980.
In collaboration with H. Bentley Glass he edited several symposium volumes, including The chemical basis of heredity,[2] with authors including François Jacob, Erwin Chargaff, Severo Ochoa, Arthur Kornberg, Max Delbrück and Francis Crick. In his review[3] Conrad Waddington wrote as follows:
It deals with the most fundamental problem of analytical biology — the chemical nature and functioning of the basic units on which biological organisms are based. The contributors are ... of the very highest standard ... Workers in the large field of chromosomes, genes, nucleic acids and viruses will find the book essential.
He was awarded the Howard N. Potts Medal in 1971. He was also an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,[4] the United States National Academy of Sciences,[5] and the American Philosophical Society.[6]
In 1981, McElroy became a founding member of the World Cultural Council.[7]
Personal life
McElroy married three times. He was first married to Nella Amelia Winch in 1940 with whom he had four children: Ann, Mary, Thomas and William, Jr. His second marriage was in 1967 to biochemist Marlene Anderegg DeLuca. Their one child is Eric Gene. After being widowed in 1987, he married again in 1997 to Olga Robles who survived him.
Honors
McElroy Ridge in the Victory Mountains of Victoria Land, Antarctica was named after McElroy by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names.[8]
References
- ^ McElroy, William David (1943). The application of the theory of absolute reaction rates to the action of narcotics (Ph.D.). Princeton University. OCLC 54749276
- ^ William D. McElroy and Bentley Glass (eds.) (1957). The chemical basis of heredity. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0801804090.
- ^ Waddington, C.H. (1958). "The Chemical Basis of Heredity. Edited by William D. McElroy and Bentley Glass. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press. 1957. pp. vii+848. £5". Quarterly Journal of Experimental Physiology and Cognate Medical Sciences. 43 (1): 136. doi:10.1113/expphysiol.1958.sp001300
- ^ "William David McElroy". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
- ^ "W.D. McElroy". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
- ^ "About Us". World Cultural Council. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
- ^ 9684. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- Helinski, Donald R. (March 2005). "Biographical Memoirs: William David McElroy". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 149 (1): 104–106. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
- Hastings, J. Woodland (2004). "William David McElroy". Biographical Memoirs. Vol. 85. National Academy of Sciences. pp. 164–183. OCLC 57734601. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
External links
- William D. McElroy Papers MSS 483. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library.