- Date Of Birth: January 25, 1925
- Date Of Death: November 29, 2015
- State: Michigan
Beloved husband, father, brother, uncle and Upjohn research manager, died peacefully Sunday afternoon, November 29, 2015, with family present. Bill was born on January 25, 1925, in his family’s farmhouse in Fairlee, Maryland to Carroll and Hazel (Waldron) Dulin. As a boy, he did a man’s work on the dairy farm, and graduated from Chestertown MD High School at the age of 16. He began his scientific pursuits the following fall at Washington College in Maryland, where he majored in chemistry and biology, played varsity soccer, basketball, and baseball, and associated with Theta Chi fraternity.
There he met Phyllis “Bucki” R. Buckingham, of Baltimore, whom he married on September 4, 1948. Bill put his education on hold during WWII, volunteering for the US Navy, where he completed training as a carrier based F6F (Hellcat) fighter pilot. After the war, he graduated from college before going on to Indiana University where he earned his PHD in Zoology (Endocrinology). He began his career as a research scientist in 1952 at the Upjohn Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan, working in Metabolic Diseases, Atheroschlerosis, and Thrombosis research, until he ultimately reached the position of Research Director for Diabetes and Gastrointestinal Diseases. While at Upjohn Co., he wrote and presented many Invited Papers in the US, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, France, Italy and Israel.
He was also an Adjunct Professor at Western Michigan University in the Biomedical Department. He was active in many professional societies, including the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine; Endocrine Society; American Diabetes Association; American Physiology Society; and American Heart Association. He is credited with over 100 scientific publications. Bill won the Upjohn Award in 1961 for Recognition of Special Accomplishments, and the Washington College Alumni Award in 1985 for contributions to medical science. He retired from Upjohn Co. in 1985, and moved to Marco Island, Florida until 2010, when he and Bucki returned to Kalamazoo. As a family man and adventurer, Bill always had time for a game of catch after dinner, and attended many of his sons’ and grandchildrens’ football, soccer and baseball games, track meets, tennis matches, swim meets, and equestrian events.
He loved boating, handball, tennis and socializing with his friends, but most of all, he loved fishing! Mercy to anyone who lost a fish! After retirement, he and Bucki traveled extensively around the Great Lakes, and the world. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, sister Elizabeth Turner, brother-in-law James Turner, sister-in-law Miram Dulin, and nephew Charles Dulin.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Phyllis “Bucki” Dulin, and brother Charles Dulin of Chestertown. MD. Also surviving are two sons: Bruce (Sharon) Dulin of Paw Paw, and Marc (Deborah) Dulin of Mattawan; four grandchildren, Cameron, Claire, Jennifer and Rebecca; two great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
