William P. Purcell *60

Bill died March 23, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn., at age 88, after a brief illness.

He was born Dec. 11, 1935, in Tulsa, Okla. He earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Indiana University in 1957 and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton in 1960.

While at Princeton, Bill worked at Buckman Laboratories, researching cellulose derivatives and synthetic microbicides. In 1963, he joined the chemistry faculty at the University of Tennessee, Memphis.

Bill’s area of expertise was molecular modeling, and he was a pioneer in quantitative structure-activity relationships. He published Strategy of Drug Design: A Molecular Guide to Biological Activity in 1973.

From 1975 to 1977, Bill taught at the Université de Lausanne, École de Pharmacie in Switzerland, where he found a love of skiing and became an expert on the slopes.

In 1997, Bill formed his company, Molecular Design International, which had multiple commercial spin-outs. The firm continues in operation, having received IND approval and over 10 Phase I and Phase II SBIR/STTR NIH Grants. He invented the molecules MDI 101 and MDI 403, used as anti-aging compounds in the cosmetic industry.

Bill is survived by his children, Lisa, Jennifer, and Barclay; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Graduate alumni memorials are prepared by the APGA.