William S. Allison ’57


William S. Allison ’57 died on July 30, 2011, in La Jolla, California, following a long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Arriving in Hanover from Williamstown, Massachusetts, Bill majored in chemistry and was a member of Gamma Delta Chi and the DOC, participating in winter sports and the ski patrol. Following graduation Bill continued his studies at Dartmouth, earning a master’s in chemistry in 1959. He obtained his Ph.D. at Brandeis University in 1963. In our 25th reunion book, Bill wrote: “As an undergraduate I was content to obtain my ungentlemanly C’s in most courses. Later I recognized, surprisingly, that I had learned thoroughly the fundamentals of chemistry while I was an undergraduate at Dartmouth despite my unreceptive attitude as a student.” He attributed this to many “marvelous teachers” at Dartmouth. After several years as an assistant professor at Brandeis, Bill became professor of chemistry in 1969 at the University of California, San Diego, where he remained until retirement in 2003. He was an internationally renowned expert in bioenergetics, especially known for his work on the molecular machinery in cells that make adenosine triphosphate (the “molecular unit of currency” of intracellular energy transfer). “As an avid skier, Bill and his wife, Irene, often commuted from La Jolla to Mammoth Lakes, where they owned a home,” according to fraternity brother Dick Leavitt ’57. “He skied for the last time in May 2009, before ALS became a problem. Bill was a gentleman, scholar, teacher and skier. He will be missed by his family, friends, colleagues and countless students.” Irene and children Carl and Catherine survive him.