Michael Stoker

Sir Michael George Parke Stoker CBE FRS FRSE MD FRCP (4 July 1918 – 13 August 2013)[1] was a British physician and medical researcher in virology.

For the American actor, see Mike Stoker.

Sir Michael Stoker CBE FRS FRSE FRCP
Stoker in the 1960s
Personal details
Born	(1918-07-04)4 July 1918
Died	13 August 2013(2013-08-13) (aged 95)
Spouse(s)	Veronica (died 2004)
Children	5
Alma mater	University of Cambridge
3rd President of Clare Hall, Cambridge
In office 1980–1987
Preceded by	Sir Robert Honeycombe
Succeeded by	Anthony Low

Scientific career

He studied medicine at Clare College, Cambridge and St Thomas' Hospital in London, gaining his MD in 1947, after serving in the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War II. On return to civilian life he became a Fellow of Clare College from 1948 and an assistant tutor and Director of Medical Studies there from 1949 until he moved to Glasgow University in 1958. There he was the first Professor of Virology at the University (the first Chair of Virology to be established at a British university) from 1958 to 1968 and was appointed Honorary Director of the Medical Research Council Unit in 1959. He was the Director of Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratories from 1968–79 and President of Clare Hall, Cambridge University 1980-87.[2]

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1968 and delivered their Leeuwenhoek Lecture in 1971.[3] He was made a CBE in 1974 and was knighted in 1980.

Personal life

Stoker was born in Taunton, UK. His father, born in Ireland, was a medical doctor. He attended Oakham School and then medicine at University of Cambridge. At the outbreak of the Second World War he was in training at St Thomas's Hospital, London. He enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps and was sent to India. He worked in Lucknow, Hydrabad and finally Pune. In Pune he became involved in studying typhus and bush typhus which led to his life-long work in virology, since at the time it was thought that the Rickettsia that caused these diseases were a type of virus. In 1947 he returned to civilian life.[4]

He married Veronica (died 2004) in 1942, whom he met as a fellow student at University of Cambridge. They had 5 children.

References

1. The Guardian: Sir Michael Stoker obituary
2. "Biography of Sir Michael Stoker". University of Glasgow. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
3. "Fellows". Royal Society. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
4. Weiss, Robin A; Gherardi, Ermanno (2013). "Michael Stoker 1918–2013". Cell. 155: 493–494. Retrieved 10 May 2020.

• Biography of Michael Stoker

Academic offices
Preceded by Sir Robert Honeycombe	President of Clare Hall, Cambridge 1980-1987	Succeeded by Anthony Low