William David McElroy
Fifth Chancellor of the
University of California San Diego
In office
1972–1980
Preceded byHerbert York
Succeeded byRichard C. Atkinson
3rd Director of the National Science Foundation
In office
1969–1972
PresidentRichard Nixon
Preceded byLeland J. Haworth
Succeeded byGuyford Stever
Personal details
Born(1917-01-22)22 January 1917
Rogers, Texas, USA
Died22 February 1999(1999-02-22) (aged 82)
San Diego, California, USA
Spouse(s)Nella Amelia Winch (m.1940)
Marlene Anderegg DeLuca (1967–1987†)
Olga Robles (1997–1999)
Alma materPasadena Junior College
Stanford University
Reed College
Princeton University
ProfessionBiochemistry
InstitutionsJohns Hopkins University
Office of Naval Research
National Institute of Health
National Science Foundation
University of California San Diego
AwardsHoward N. Potts Medal (1971); American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Sciences
Scientific career
FieldsBiochemistry
InstitutionsJohns Hopkins University
Office of Naval Research
National Institute of Health
National Science Foundation
University of California San Diego
ThesisThe application of the theory of absolute reaction rates to the action of narcotics (1943)
Doctoral advisorEdmund Newton Harvey
Notable studentsJohn Woodland Hastings

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

  1. McElroy, William David (1943). The application of the theory of absolute reaction rates to the action of narcotics (Ph.D.). Princeton University. OCLC 54749276 via ProQuest.
  2. William D. McElroy and Bentley Glass, ed. (1957). The chemical basis of heredity. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0801804090.
  3. 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.
  4. "William David McElroy". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  5. "W. D. McElroy". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  6. "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  7. "About Us". World Cultural Council. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  8. "McElroy Ridge". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
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