Elkan Rogers Blout ’39

Elkan died of pneumonia Dec. 20, 2006, in Boston.

After leaving Princeton, completing his Ph.D. at Columbia, and then doing postdoctoral research at Harvard, he joined a modern research-oriented industrial company — Polaroid. In the 19 years he was there, he participated in some exciting developments including the Polaroid Land Camera and the chemistry for the color version of that camera. In 1962 he accepted an offer to embark on biochemical research at Harvard, studying peptides and polypeptides. From 1978-89 he was dean for academic affairs at the Harvard School of Public Health, and next served as treasurer of the National Academy of Sciences for 12 years.

In the 1990s he became senior adviser for science at the Food and Drug Administration. He was awarded a National Medal of Science in 1990. He retired from Harvard in 1991. His favorite escape from Cambridge was his summer retreat on Cuttyhunk Island, Mass., where he enjoyed deep-sea fishing.

Elkan is survived by his wife, Gail; their daughter, Darya; three children from his first marriage, James, William, and Susan; 10 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. To all of them, we offer our deep sympathy, even as we celebrate the astonishing accomplishments of Elkan’s well-lived life.