In Memory: Jacqueline (Harding) Reynolds ’51

Jacqueline (Harding) Reynolds ’51 died Apr. 24, 2019, at age 88. She was an accomplished pianist and professor emeritus in the department of cell biology at Duke University in Durham, N.C.

After graduating from Pacific, she frequently moved around the country for either family or work. She eventually became the first female graduate student of the department of chemistry at the University of Washington, completing her PhD in three years. She was also a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. She worked at IBM for a number of years before becoming a professor at Duke and became the first female member of the university’s academic council. There she began working in tandem with fellow professor Charles Tanford, who became her life partner until his death in 2009.

When they retired to Easingwold, England, they co-wrote three books: The Scientific Traveler: A Guide to the People, Places & Institutions of Europe; A Travel Guide to Scientific Sites of The British Isles: A Guide to the People, Places and Landmarks of Science; and Nature’s Robots: A History of Proteins. She was preceded in death by her life partner, Charles. She is survived by her children, Ben, Deborah Jackson and Rebecca Newton; and 11 grandchildren.