James D. Ebert

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has received word of the death of Honorary Member of the Corporation Dr. James D. Ebert at age 79. Dr. Ebert and his wife, Alma Goodwin Ebert, 78, died May 22 of injuries they suffered in a car accident in Maryland.

James Ebert was elected a Member of the Corporation in 1972 and served in that role until 1990, when he became an Honorary Member. He was also a long time member of the Associates program, which he joined in 1974.

James D. Ebert received his bachelor¹s degree from Washington and Jefferson College and his doctorate from The Johns Hopkins University. He was a longtime member of the Biology Department at The Johns Hopkins University, and was also professor of embryology at the university¹s School of Medicine. He also served as Director of the Department of Embryology at the Carnegie Institution Washington from 1956 to 1976, and served as President of that institution¹s research center from 1978 to 1987. He previously was an Associate Professor of Zoology at Indiana University. He was named vice president of the National Academy of Sciences in 1981.

James Ebert served as President of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole from 1970 to 1978 and was an Honorary Trustee and Director Emeritus of MBL. He and his wife, who worked as an MBL volunteer, continued to spend summers in Woods Hole.

Dr. Ebert was the author of more than 195 professional articles and wrote, co-edited and contributed to several books. His research included cell differentiation, protein synthesis and interactions on development, heart development, and graft vs. host reactions.

James Ebert was the recipient of honorary degrees from Yale University, Moravian College, Indiana University, and Washington and Jefferson College. He was a Trustee of the Worcester Foundation, a Director of Baxter International, Inc., Free Radical Sciences, Inc., and was a member of the Board of Governors of the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

Further details will be released when available.