William J. "Jack" Schull

1922 - 2017

Schull, William J. "Jack" On 20 June 2017 Jack Schull died at home in Houston, TX. He was preceded in death by his parents, Eugene and Edna Gertrude Davenport Schull, his stepmother, Helen Mokwa Schull, wife Victoria (Vicki) Margaret Novak Schull and Elizabeth Hosanna Ley Schull, his brother John, and his sister Eugenia (Gena) Mynders. He is survived by his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, James and Mary Jane Mintner, 14 nieces and nephews, and by several friends he loved as his sons and daughters. Born on March 17, 1922 in Louisiana, MO, he considered Milwaukee his home town, and returned frequently to visit. In his last year of studies at Marquette University he turned down an offer to attend medical school and instead, served three years as a medic with the 37th Infantry Division in the Pacific. After the war he finished his BS and MS in Zoology at Marquette, and with Vicki at his side, studied at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, earning a PhD in Genetics in 1949. Jack was a world authority on the effects of ionizing radiation on human health. He spent many years in Japan, first as a member of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, and later with the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, eventually becoming its Vice-Chairman and Director. He served on Atomic Energy commissions in the US and Canada, and on two advisory panels of the United Nations. In 1951 Jack joined the University of Michigan to teach Human Genetics, and reached the rank of Professor 11 years later. By then he had published five books, and some 50 research papers. In 1972 he and Vicki moved to Houston, where he became the founding Director of the Center for Demographic and Population Genetics at The University of Texas Health Science Center, and he was named Ashbel Smith Professor of Academic Medicine. He became Professor Emeritus at the age of 75. Jack had a deep and abiding interest in the genetic epidemiology of chronic diseases, and was a mentor to scientists involved in such studies. He published more than 425 scientific papers and reports, but he was most proud of his 14 published books, and the scholarship they represented. He valued the sense of wholeness of books, and strove to make his science accessible to others. His last manuscript, on the hidden Christians of Japan, was completed this past year. During his lifetime Jack received many awards, among which was The Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class - the highest honor granted by Japan to foreign non-diplomatic personnel. It was conferred on him by the Emperor of Japan for his contribution to genetics in Japan, especially his work with the survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The world is emptier without Jack's erudition, generosity, and kindness. We miss him. A Roman Catholic Rite of Committal will be held August 25th at 2:30 PM at the Moses Chapel in Holy Cross Cemetery, 7301 W. Nash St., Milwaukee, Wisconsin and a Memorial Mass will be said October 13th at 12:05 PM at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 3617 Milam St., Houston, Texas followed by a reception honoring his memory at 1400 Hermann Condo, Gallery Reception room, Houston, Texas. Those who wish to honor him are encouraged to contribute in his name to the Schull Institute (PO BOX 131755, Houston, TX 77219).