William D. McElroy

William David McElroy
Fifth Chancellor of the University of California, San Diego
In office 1971–1980
Personal details
Born	(1917-01-22)22 January 1917 Rogers, Texas, USA
Died	22 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 mater	Pasadena Junior College Stanford University Reed College Princeton University
Profession	Biochemistry
Institutions	Johns Hopkins University Office of Naval Research National Institute of Health National Science Foundation University of California, San Diego

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.

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.

He was awarded the Howard N. Potts Medal in 1971.

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 remarried again in 1997 to Olga Robles who survived him.

References

• Helinski, Donald R. (March 2005). "Biographical Memoirs: William David McElroy" (PDF). 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.