Dan Shelton Ray

Dan S. Ray, Ph.D., emeritus professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics at UCLA, died peacefully at home in Pacific Palisades, California following a year-long battle with bladder cancer. He was 86 years old.

Born on December 27, 1937, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Ruby Land Ray and Clois Shelton Ray, Dan attended Memphis State University (now University of Memphis) and Western Reserve University (now Case Western Reserve), before receiving his doctorate in biophysics from Stanford University and subsequently joining the faculty at UCLA in 1966.

Dan has a deep legacy as a scientist and educator. He did his Ph.D. at Stanford University in Phil Hanawalt’s lab. Stanford in the 1960’s was the center of the universe for any scientist serious about DNA replication and DNA repair, two of the most exciting areas in the burgeoning field of molecular biology. Dan was Phil's first Ph.D. student, and Dan’s research papers got Phil’s lab off to a great start, with three published in top journals. Dan’s first paper in Phil’s lab described the technically demanding isolation of DNA replication forks, which are where the genetic material is copied in all cells. After his Ph.D., Dan pursued his interest in DNA replication as a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute in Munich, Germany. There Dan began to study DNA replication using a virus called M13 as his model, and published two papers in the Journal of Molecular Biology that laid the foundation for his independent research career. Dan was recruited to UCLA in 1966, as an Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology, where he helped establish the interdepartmental Molecular Biology PhD program and was one of the first members of the Molecular Biology Institute. A series of five landmark papers in 1969 and 1970 cemented Dan’s reputation for excellence in the DNA replication field. In the 1980’s Dan took on a new challenge, pioneering the study of DNA replication in a single-celled parasite called a trypanosome. By the time Dan retired in 2014, he had published 107 research papers and mentored upwards of 40 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Dan’s trainees went on to successful scientific careers in academia and in industry. One, Randy Schekman, went on to win the Nobel Prize. All of Dan’s trainees remember his warmth, patience, enthusiasm, and scientific rigor. Dan was always available for discussion, and took great joy in discovery.

As a lover of travel, fine food and adventure, Dan spent his life touring the world, visiting all seven continents and making lifelong friends around across the globe. He had a soft spot for dogs, beautiful sunsets, great wine, and high calorie cocktails.

Dan is survived by his beloved wife of 43 years, Jane Hines, his loving son and daughter, grandchildren and other family.

A celebration of Dan’s life is being planned for March.

In lieu of flowers, and honoring his love for his canine friends, the family requests donations to Best Friends <https://bestfriends.org/donate>.