Robert Haselkorn ’56

Bob died at home Feb. 10, 2025.

He came from Brooklyn and Madison High School, where he was newspaper editor. At Princeton, Bob joined Tower, majored in chemistry, and served as coxswain and captain of the varsity crew team. Bob went on to Harvard, where he met his wife, Margot Bloch, and earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1959. A postdoctoral fellowship followed at Cambridge after which he joined the faculty of the University of Chicago, where he rose to become Pritzker Distinguished Service Professor. Bob’s prolific research focused on molecular genetics, for which he received many honors including election to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Mendel Medal in Biological Science. He was also active in pursuing applications of his work, founding two biotechnology companies.

In retirement, Bob remained active in his Chicago research lab but added a winter home in Newport Beach, Calif., where he enjoyed watching a new generation of crew teams practice. He is survived by Margot; their children Deborah and her husband Larry Fine and David and his wife Elizabeth; grandchildren Katherine and her husband Graham; Olivia and her husband Christopher; Robert and his wife Daniela; and Sarah and her husband Michael; and four great-grandchildren.