The School of Pharmacy remembers former professor and Assistant Dean, John Michael Edwards.
John Michael Edwards, 91, of Coventry Connecticut passed away on July 23, 2023 after a brief illness.
Michael was born in London England on December 31, 1931, to the late Harry Edwards and Nora (Brummitt) Edwards. Like many children during the London Blitz, he attended boarding school outside of the city, at King's School Taunton, then St. John's, Leatherhead. He earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry on a full scholarship from St. John's College in Cambridge in 1953. Following his undergraduate work, he enlisted in the British Navy and completed his national service requirement in 1955. During this time, he met his wife Sheila Carlyle, and they married in 1954.
Michael first taught at Uppingham School in Rutland, England. In 1960, he took an opportunity to teach in Australia. While there, he completed his PhD in Chemistry in 1969 at the University of Melbourne. His career as an academic, researcher, and scholar led him to the United States to pursue postdoctoral work at the National Institutes of Health, followed by a long and distinguished career as Professor of Pharmacognosy and Assistant Dean at the School of Pharmacy at the University of Connecticut (1970 – 1997).
His research included numerous journal publications that spanned his career, mentoring and supervising several graduate students, and co-authoring The Biosynthesis of Aromatic Compounds with Ulrich Weiss in 1980.
He is predeceased by his wife, Sheila (Carlyle) Edwards and his daughter, Amanda (Edwards) Bowen. He is survived by his son Justin; daughter-in-law Annie; grandchildren Megan MacDonald, Jasper Edwards and Ian Edwards; and his sister, Margaret (Edwards) Hill.
