In Memoriam

In memoriam: Guy Thompson

ASBMB Today Staff
Jan. 16, 2023

Guy Allen Thompson, a biochemist who worked with plants and a member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology since 1970, died Feb. 23, 2022. He was 90.

Portrait of Guy Thompson with plants
Guy Thompson

Thompson was born May 31, 1931, in a small Mississippi Delta farming town, where he developed a love of nature and an interest in local birds. After graduating as valedictorian of his small consolidated school, he attended Mississippi State College. He worked summers building roads and monitoring cotton cultivation before graduating with a degree in chemistry. Thompson served in the Air Force before earning a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the California Institute of Technology, and then did postdoctoral work at the University of Manchester in the U.K. In 1960 he met and married Eileen Wood.

After six years on the faculty at the University of Washington, Thompson took a position in the botany department at the University of Texas, where he taught for 53 years until his retirement. He published more than 150 scientific papers and book chapters as well as two technical books. Thompson advanced to full professor in 1974 and served as botany department chair from 1996 to 2000. He was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1989.

“Guy’s biochemical work was generally done in his laboratories, but he always envied his more botanical colleagues who spent time outdoors on field trips or other research activities,” a family obituary stated.

After becoming professor emeritus at the age of 70, Thompson volunteered for activities such as gardening at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, making trails at a nature conservancy preserve, and monitoring wildfire danger for the city of Austin. He enjoyed doing outdoor chores at home and worked for 12 years as a landscaper at the local library.

Guy and Eileen Thompson also traveled extensively after his retirement, and he renewed his childhood interest in birdwatching.

Thompson is survived by his wife; his three children, Sally Macklin, Gillian Verga and Jeremy Thompson and their spouses; and five grandchildren.

Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?

Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.

Learn more
ASBMB Today Staff

This article was written by a member or members of the ASBMB Today staff.

Related articles

In memoriam: David Baltimore
Courtney Chandler
In memoriam: Stuart A. Kornfeld
Jeyashree Alagarsamy
2025 PROLAB awardees announced
Marissa Locke Rottinghaus

Get the latest from ASBMB Today

Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.

Latest in People

People highlights or most popular articles

Understanding the roles of extracellular matrix and vesicles in valvular disease
Profile

Understanding the roles of extracellular matrix and vesicles in valvular disease

Oct. 30, 2025

MOSAIC scholar Cassandra Clift uses mass spectrometry and multiomics to study cardiovascular calcification and collagen dysregulation, bridging her background in bioengineering and biology to investigate extracellular vesicles and heart disease.

Learning, leading and lifting others
Profile

Learning, leading and lifting others

Oct. 23, 2025

Tigist Tamir’s journey from aspiring astronaut in Ethiopia to cancer researcher at the University of North Carolina highlights the power of mentorship, persistence and curiosity in shaping a scientific career focused on discovery and equity.

Biochemists and molecular biologists sweep major 2025 honors
News

Biochemists and molecular biologists sweep major 2025 honors

Oct. 20, 2025

Recent Nobel, MacArthur and Kimberly Prize honorees highlight the power of biochemistry and molecular biology to drive discovery, including immune tolerance, vaccine design and metabolic disease, and to advance medicine and improve human health.

Subramanian receives electron microscopy honor
Member News

Subramanian receives electron microscopy honor

Oct. 13, 2025

He delivered remarks at the International Conference on Electron Microscopy in Bangalore, India.

Bioart for fall: From order to disorder
Art

Bioart for fall: From order to disorder

Oct. 7, 2025

The cover of the fall issue of ASBMB Today was created by ASBMB member, Soutick Saha, a bioinformatics developer at Wolfram Alpha LLC.

Doudna wins Priestley Medal
Member News

Doudna wins Priestley Medal

Oct. 6, 2025

She will receive a $20,000 research grant and will formally accept the honor at the ACS Spring 2026 conference.