A tireless teacher on a quest to help

Thomas Roosevelt Punnett Jr., 82, a biochemist and professor emeritus at Temple University who had a sharp intellect, superb teaching skills, and a great sense of humor, died July 4 of cutaneous lymphoma at Hahnemann University Hospital.

Dr. Punnett, a longtime resident of West Mount Airy who joined Temple's biology department in 1963 and retired for health reasons in 1999, was devoted to teaching.

"He would still be teaching if he could be," his daughter Laura said. "He was very inquisitive and very dedicated to research and conveying his findings to his students."

Dr. Punnett also was a mentor to his students, going so far as to help them with language skills and with job and graduate school applications.

"He was very supportive of younger faculty and students," said his wife of 58 years, Hope. "He never aged except physically."

Born in Buffalo, Dr. Punnett, who grew up sailing on Lake Erie and developed a deep respect for the environment and a keen interest in ecology, had been working on a process to improve the anaerobic metabolism of sewage, which diminishes solid waste and improves production of methane.

"He had great hopes of it solving all kinds of problems in the world," his wife said. "It was a great frustration to him that he couldn't do the experiments."

Dr. Punnett had a competitive as well as a humorous side. He and his wife belonged to the Cooper River Yacht Club in Camden County, and for 40 years they raced their GP14 sailboat.

Dr. Punnett graduated from Nichols School, a college-preparatory school in Buffalo that has several well-known alumni, including artist Laylah Ali. He served in the Army Signal Corps from 1944 to 1946 before earning a bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1950. He received his doctorate in biophysics from the University of Illinois in 1954 and served a fellowship at Cambridge University.

Dr. Punnett taught at the University of Rochester for seven years before joining the Temple faculty.

He loved to travel, was a history buff, and enjoyed classical music. He also liked to garden.

Dr. Punnett is also survived by two other daughters, Susan Punnett and Jill Goldberg, and seven grandchildren.

Plans for a memorial service are being made.