Barnegat Bay Legend and Olympic Gold Medalist Dies at 97

Barnegat Bay Legend and Olympic Gold Medalist Dies at 97 

One would think that winning the Olympic gold medal at the age of 41 should be THE highlight moment in anyone's life, but not for Dr. Britton Chance.  Before and after winning that medal in the 1952 Helsinki Games, he was an extraordinary scientist with international credentials.

Chance was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and had a home in Waretown, NJ for decades, from which he sailed Barnegat Bay.  He received a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degree in Physical Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. He earned a second Ph.D. at Cambridge University in 1942 in Biology/Physiology. During World War II, Chance worked for the Radiation Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which was working on the development of radar. In 1952 he received his D.Sc. from Cambridge. His research interests were diverse. He was promoted as the Professor of Biophysics at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and appointed the second director of the Johnson Foundation, a position he held until 1983. He was then appointed E. R. Johnson Professor of Biophysics and Physical Biochemistry in 1964 and University Professor in 1977.

 Chance had the rare distinction of being the recipient of a National Medal of Science (1974), and a Gold Medal in the Olympics (1952, Sailing, Men's 5½ Meter Class), and a Certificate of Merit for his sensitive work during World War II. He also was rare in being elected not only to the U.S. National Academy of Science but also to foreign academies such as The Royal Society of London and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

 Dr. Britton Chance, for more than 50 years one of the giants of biochemistry and biophysics and a world leader in transforming theoretical science into useful biomedical and clinical applications and Olympic Gold Medal winner and Barnegat Bay sailing legend, died on November 16, at age 97.

Karl Hess

 

 

 

 

Barnegat Bay Legend and Olympic Gold Medalist Dies at 97 One would think that winning the Olympic gold medal at the age of 41 should be THE highlight moment in anyone's life, but not for Dr. Britton Chance. Before and after winning that medal in the 1952 Helsinki Games, he was an extraordinary scientist with international credentials. Chance was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and had a home in Waretown, NJ for decades, from which he sailed Barnegat Bay. He received a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degree in Physical Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. He earned a second Ph.D. at Cambridge University in 1942 in Biology/Physiology. During World War II, Chance worked for the Radiation Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which was working on the development of radar. In 1952 he received his D.Sc. from Cambridge. His research interests were diverse. He was promoted as the Professor of Biophysics at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and appointed the second director of the Johnson Foundation, a position he held until 1983. He was then appointed E. R. Johnson Professor of Biophysics and Physical Biochemistry in 1964 and University Professor in 1977. Chance had the rare distinction of being the recipient of a National Medal of Science (1974), and a Gold Medal in the Olympics (1952, Sailing, Men's 5½ Meter Class), and a Certificate of Merit for his sensitive work during World War II. He also was rare in being elected not only to the U.S. National Academy of Science but also to foreign academies such as The Royal Society of London and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Dr. Britton Chance, for more than 50 years one of the giants of biochemistry and biophysics and a world leader in transforming theoretical science into useful biomedical and clinical applications and Olympic Gold Medal winner and Barnegat Bay sailing legend, died on November 16, at age 97. Karl Hess