Frank W. Putnam
Frank W. Putnam was an American biochemist and university professor.
Early life and education
Frank W. Putnam was born August 3, 1917, in New Britain, Connecticut. He attended Wesleyan University, where he received his B.A. in Chemistry in 1939 and an M.A. in Chemistry in 1940. In 1942, he received his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota.Career
Putnam began his career in biochemistry as an instructor at Duke University's School of Medicine from 1942 to 1946. He was an assistant professor in biochemistry at the University of Chicago from 1947 to 1953 and was promoted to associate professor in 1953. In 1955, Putnam was named Head of Biochemistry at the University of Florida, a position he held until 1965. He then moved on to Indiana University to become a professor of biology and the Director of the Division of Biological Sciences. Putnam held the director position until 1969 when he resigned to devote his time to teaching and research. In 1969, he was named Professor of Molecular Biology and Zoology at IU. Putnam was named a Guggenheim fellow in 1970 and researched in the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge University in England. In 1971, he became a professor of biochemistry at the Indiana University Medical School. Putnam reached the status of Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry in 1974. He retired in 1987 and was given the title of Distinguished Professor Emeritus by IU in 1988.Putnam was a member of several professional organizations in the sciences including the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He served as chairman of the Divisional Committee for Institutional Programs of the National Science Foundation. Putnam was a member of the National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council of the National Institutes of Health. In 1967, Putnam was elected chairman of the Division of Biological Chemistry of the American Chemical Society. He was named to the Etiology Program Advisory Committee of the National Cancer Institute in 1970.