A symposium to celebrate the career of Dr. Walton L. Fangman, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Genome Sciences, and his contributions to our understanding of DNA replication was held on September 3, 2004. Speakers and participants included past and present members of his laboratory.
Walt joined the Department of Genetics at the University of Washington in 1967. Originally interested in the initiation of DNA synthesis at the single origin of replication in prokaryotic chromosomes, Walt was quickly seduced by the small size of the budding yeast genome with its high density of replication origins. It is in this arena that Walt has spent most of his career, exploring the temporal program of chromosomal DNA replication and essentially creating the field along the way.
Besides serving as Chairman of the Department of Genetics (1985-1990), Walt has also served two stints as the Principal Investigator on the NIH Genetics Training Grant. Walt has been a Professor Emeritus at UW since 2000 and retired from active University life at the end of 2004.