In memoriam: Thomas Devlin

Thomas M. Devlin, professor emeritus at Drexel University College of Medicine and a member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology for more than 60 years, died March 24. He was 94. 

Thomas Devlin

Devlin was born on June 29, 1929, in Philadelphia to Frank Devlin and Ella Mae Devlin. After finishing high school, Devlin worked full time as a lab technician for Britton Chance while finishing his bachelor's degree at University of Pennsylvania. With Chance’s encouragement and mentorship, Devlin pursued a Ph.D. in biochemistry at Johns Hopkins University.

Devlin joined the staff at the Merck Institute where he worked in various positions from 1957 to 1967. In 1967, he joined the faculty of Hahnemann Medical School, which is now Drexel University College of Medicine. There, Devlin served as professor and chair of the biochemistry department for 38 years before becoming emeritus faculty.

In the lab, his research focused on mitochondrial energy transduction, metabolic enzymes and the biochemical changes that occur in tissues as the result of ischemia. In 1983, he authored and edited the textbook Biochemistry with Clinical Correlations, which has been translated in multiple languages and used worldwide. In a National Science Foundation article about Devlin and his granddaughter, fellow scientist Kathyrn Devlin, Thomas Devlin was quoted saying, “There wasn't a day in my life that I didn't go to work looking forward to everything I could do.”

Devlin was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi at Johns Hopkins University. He served as an NSF review panelist, chaired the Medical Biochemistry Education Board and served as a member of the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Commission on Science and Arts at the Franklin Institute and the Test Committee for the National Board of Medical Examiners.

According to a family obituary, Devlin was a dedicated teacher, and “he was most proud of being an educator and mentor to his students.” In addition to his science, Devlin was a sailor and enthusiastic traveler who visited over 40 countries in six continents.

Devlin married his high school sweetheart, Marjorie Adele Paynter, in 1953. They were together for 65 years until her death in 2018. Devlin is survived by two sons, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.