John Allen Rupley

University of Arizona Professor Dr. John Allen Rupley died 5 days after his 91st birthday from lung-heart failure. John was the son of Allen and Juliette Rupley, husband for 64 years of Ila, father of Eric (Kim), and grandfather of Sam. John was born in Brooklyn, and lived when a child in San Francisco and Guatemala City. An outstanding scholar, he graduated from Hill School (1950), Princeton University (1954), and the University of Washington (Ph.D, 1959). After post-doctoral studies at Cornell, he joined the Chemistry faculty at the U of A in 1961 and retired in 1998 as Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Biophysics.

He published numerous papers on his research in molecular biophysics, and cultivated students from around the world. Tall and powerful, John competed in collegiate heavyweight wrestling and crew. He was an accomplished rock climber and alpine mountaineer. He pioneered rock climbing on Mt. Lemmon in Arizona, and made notable alpine first ascents listed in the American Alpine Journal. After retirement John used his skill as a chemist to develop into an excellent cook. John was a thoughtful, cultured man with a quick sense of humor. With strength and warmth, he anchored our family. With gratitude and love, we will forever cherish our memories of him.