James P. Whitlock Jr. ’64

Jim died at his home in San Francisco Feb. 16, 2023. To the extent he allowed anything to be known about his personal life, he was recognized for his studies of dioxin, the toxic chemical in Agent Orange. He preferred to be known only for his funny and gentle personality.

Jim was born and grew up in New Jersey and attended the Pingry School to prepare for Princeton, where he played soccer, which he continued to do into his 50s. He majored in physics. On Saturday nights he joined The Team at Charter Club and sang songs that were louder and dirtier than he could normally tolerate.

Jim earned a medical degree at Temple University and completed a pediatric residency at Columbia Presbyterian. After a few years as a senior staff fellow at the National Institutes of Health, he taught pharmacology at Stanford Medical School and became chairman of the molecular pharmacology department. He retired as professor emeritus

Jim was married for 25 years to Lynn Pulliam, 
herself a professor and neurovirologist. 
He had two children and two stepchildren. 
He loved and marveled at them. In retirement, he became a San Francisco observer and photographer, creating a magnificent calendar annually with photos of flowers, birds, bugs, and anything else that had a claim to be a pollinator.