Flags on campus will remain lowered in memory John H. Spencer, a professor emeritus of biochemistry.

Dr. Spencer began his teaching career at Queen’s in 1978 as a professor in the Department of Biochemistry. He served as the head of that department until 1990. After retiring from the Department of Biochemistry in 1998, he maintained his ties with Queen’s as a professor emeritus.

Dr. Spencer is regarded as one of the pioneers in developing methodology for reading genetic information directly from DNA. In the 1980s, he was nominated for a Nobel Prize for his research work. He published two books and authored and co-authored over 100 articles, abstracts and chapters. Throughout his career, Dr. Spencer supervised many graduate and doctoral students.

A memorial reception will be held in the James Reid Reception Centre (1900 John Counter Boulevard, Kingston) , on Saturday, May 12 from 2-4 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Parkinson Society or theHeart and Stroke Foundation in Dr. Spencer's memory.