F. Edmund Hunter Jr., professor emeritus of developmental biology, died Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011, of natural causes in St. Louis. He was 94.
Hunter came to Washington University in 1941 as an assistant in pharmacology and joined the faculty as an instructor in 1942. He remained on the faculty for 43 years. Hunter wrote a book on the history of the department from 1900-1980, the second edition of which was published to mark the department’s centennial celebration last fall.
Hunter
“Scientific prestige of an academic department is built by creativity, determination and loyalty of its faculty and trainees,” says Lila Solnica-Krezel, PhD, professor and head of developmental biology. “Dr. Hunter was an exemplary member of the Department of Developmental Biology, formerly Pharmacology, by contributing to its scientific and educational missions since 1941, writing a book about the department’s history near his retirement and actively participating in the centennial celebration of the department in 2010.”
Irving Boime, PhD, professor of developmental biology and of reproductive biology in obstetrics and gynecology, worked with Hunter as a doctoral student in the late 1960s.
“He was a very integral part of the department,” Boime says of Hunter. “He was a great man who cared about people and was fiercely loyal to the department.”
Hunter is survived by his wife Alice Schott Hunter of St. Louis; daughters Nancy Zvolanek of St. Louis and Linda Esposito of Indianapolis; three grandchildren; a brother and a sister.
The family held private services.
Memorial contributions may be made to Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Developmental Biology, 7425 Forsyth Blvd., Suite 2100, St. Louis, MO 63105.