Frances Ann Walker ’66 PhD

Frances Ann Walker ’66 PhD, of Fernandina Beach, Fla., formerly of Tucson, Ariz.; Jan. 30, after a long illness. She began her career at Ithaca College as an assistant professor of chemistry and moved to California in 1970 to join the faculty at San Francisco State University, where she was promoted to professor of chemistry and biochemistry in 1976. After developing a research program in porphyrin and iron porphyrin chemistry, she joined the faculty at the University of Arizona in 1990 and was awarded with promotion to Regents Professor in 2001. She retired in 2013 as Regents Professor Emerita. She was published in numerous scientific journals and received several awards, including the 2000 Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal, which recognizes female chemists; the 2006 Alfred Bader Award in Bioinorganic Chemistry; and the 2020 Eraldo Antonini Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Porphyrins. In 2011 she was elected a fellow of the American Chemical Society and served as associate editor for the Journal of the American Chemical Society. She enjoyed mentoring, traveling, and serving her church. She is survived by four siblings and several nieces and nephews.