JOHN M. OLSON ’51

JOHN M. OLSON, 87, a scientist and professor of photosynthesis, died July 21, 2017. A member of the John Wesley Club, he received his degree with high honors and with distinction in physics. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi. After receiving his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, he joined the faculty at Brandeis University until leaving for a position at Brookhaven National Laboratory. He collaborated internationally and discovered the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) protein, by which green bacteria use sunlight. He also taught at Odense University (now the University of Southern Denmark) and received a Danish cross medal from the Queen of Denmark. His interests included classical music, books, sailing, and airplanes. He also sang in choirs and occasionally preached. In retirement he was a food bank volunteer, active in Five College Learning in Retirement, and was a member of the League of Women Voters. His first wife, Caroline Claypool Olson, died. Among those who survive are his second wife, Betty Schaffer Olson, three children, five grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and a sister.