Coon, Minor J.

Dr. Minor J. ("Jud") Coon was born in 1921 in Englewood, Colorado. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. from the University of Colorado in 1943 and went on to do graduate studies at the University of Illinois. Coon received his Ph.D. in 1946 and remained at the University of Illinois to do postdoctoral research for the next year. In 1947 he joined the faculty of the Department of Physiological Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania, where he undertook studies on amino acid metabolism. Coon stayed at the University of Pennsylvania for several years and was promoted to Assistant Professor in 1949 and Associate Professor in 1953. He moved to the University of Michigan Medical School in 1955 when he was offered a position as Professor in the Department of Biological Chemistry.

While at the University of Michigan, he served as chairman of the Department of Biological Chemistry from 1970 to 1990. In 1983 he was named the Victor C. Vaughan Distinguished University Professor. While chairman, Coon emphasized the importance of teaching, strengthened the graduate program, and recruited outstanding faculty members, many with joint appointments. Coon received recognition for many awards at UM, including the Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, the Distinguished Faculty Lectureship Award in Biomedical Research, the Henry Russel Lectureship, and the Distinguished Achievement Award of the Medical Center Alumni Society.

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