William D. McElroy
Encyclopedia
William David McElroy was an American biochemist
and academic administrator.
. 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 bachelors degree in 1937. He earned his masters degree in biology at Reed College
and his PhD
at Princeton University
in 1943.
. He initiated an independent research program in bioluminescence, recruiting students to collect fireflies
as well as 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 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.
Biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:...
and academic administrator.
Early years
McElroy was born to William D. McElroy and Ora Shipley in Rogers, TexasRogers, Texas
Rogers is a town in Bell County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,117 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. After graduating from McAllen High School
McAllen High School
McAllen High School is one of three high schools serving the McAllen, Texas area as a part of the McAllen Independent School District. It houses over 2200 students from grades 9-12. The school originally opened in 1909 and moved to its current location at 2021 La Vista Avenue in 1963. The school...
in McAllen, Texas
McAllen, Texas
McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley and is part of the . Its southern boundary is located about five miles from the U.S.–Mexico border and the Mexican city of Reynosa, the Rio...
in 1935, he attended Pasadena Junior College
Pasadena City College
Pasadena City College is a community college in Pasadena, California, USA, located on Colorado Boulevard. PCC is the third largest community college campus in the United States. PCC was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. In 1954, Pasadena Junior College merged with another junior...
in California, and went on to Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
on a football scholarship where he received his bachelors degree in 1937. He earned his masters degree in biology at Reed College
Reed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
and his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1943.
Career
After college, McElroy became a professor at Johns Hopkins UniversityJohns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. He initiated an independent research program in bioluminescence, recruiting students to collect fireflies
Fireflies
Fireflies is a novel by Shiva Naipaul originally published in 1970. It was his first book, a comic novel set in Trinidad. In an essay in An Unfinished Journey, Naipaul described how in 1968 as a final year student at Oxford University studying Chinese, he had been moved to write down a sentence,...
as well as perform experiments. He discovered the key role that luciferase
Luciferase
Luciferase is a generic term for the class of oxidative enzymes used in bioluminescence and is distinct from a photoprotein. One famous example is the firefly luciferase from the firefly Photinus pyralis. "Firefly luciferase" as a laboratory reagent usually refers to P...
and adenosine triphosphate
Adenosine triphosphate
Adenosine-5'-triphosphate is a multifunctional nucleoside triphosphate used in cells as a coenzyme. It is often called the "molecular unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer. ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism...
(ATP) play in the process.
He began working with the Office of Naval Research
Office of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research , headquartered in Arlington, Virginia , is the office within the United States Department of the Navy that coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S...
and the National Institute of Health in the 1950s, and became a member of the Science Advisory Committee to President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
in 1962. He later became the director of the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
from 1969 to 1972. He also served as the president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
from 1975 to 1976. He became chancellor of the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
from 1972 to 1980.
He was awarded the Howard N. Potts Medal in 1971.