Putnam, Frank W.

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. He was also awarded an honorary degree from Cambridge University in 1973.

A distinguished biochemist, Frank Putnam’s research focused on the structure and function of blood proteins associated with the development of immunity to disease in animals. His early research involved the development of methods for determining the molecular structure of proteins. Later his research focused on the biology and chemistry of bacterial viruses, research that was important in developing modern molecular biology. The majority of his career dealt with the study of the Bence-Jones proteins and their relation to the molecular structure of antibodies. He is the author of over 100 published scientific articles on these subjects.

Frank Putnam began his career in biochemistry as an instructor at Duke University’s School of Medicine, 1942-1946. Putnam became an Assistant Professor in biochemistry at the University of Chicago from 1947-1953, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1953. Two years later, Frank Putnam was named Head of Biochemistry at the University of Florida, a position he held until 1965. From Florida, he moved to Indiana University to become a professor of biology and the Director of the Division of Biological Sciences. He held this position until 1969 when he resigned to devote his time to teaching and research. In 1969 Putnam was named Professor of Molecular Biology and Zoology at IU. He 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 become a professor of biochemistry at the IU Medical School, and just three years later, in 1974, reached the status of Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. In 1988, one year after retirement, Indiana University gave Frank Putnam the status of Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

Frank Putnam received much recognition as a member of several professional organizations in the sciences, including the National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He served as chairman of the Divisional Committee for Institutional Programs of the National Science Foundation, and 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. In 1972, he received the Sword of Hope award from the American Cancer Society for his work in basic cancer research. Putnam was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1974, and as honorary fellow of the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry in 1983.