Carlton Cuyler Hunt, M.D., who headed the Department of Physiology at the School of Medicine from 1967-1983, died Friday, Feb. 8, in Highlands, N.C. He was 89.
A distinguished neurophysiologist, Hunt made important contributions to the understanding of sensory innervation in muscle.
During his 16 years of leadership at the University, he built a department that was nationally recognized for its excellence in neurophysiology, biophysics and cell biology.
“Dr. Hunt was an extraordinary academic leader in the development of modern physiology,” said Philip D. Stahl, Ph.D., the Edward Mallinckrodt Professor and head of the Department of Cell Biology & Physiology. “He recruited and mentored a generation of scientists and leaders in the physiological sciences by building three superb departments of physiology, the last here at Washington University, where he was a strong and articulate voice for the support of basic science.”
After retiring as department head, Hunt spent four years as a research professor at the College de France in Paris. In 1995, he joined the faculty of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. The Association of Chairmen of Physiology gave him its 1997 Distinguished Achievement Award. In 2007, he was elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Hunt is survived by his wife, Marion, five children, six grandchildren and two great-grand-children.
A memorial service is planned for May 31 at the School of Medicine.
— Beth Miller