Obituaries

William R. CarrollResearcher, Teacher

William Robert Carroll, 92, who was a researcher at the National Institutes of Health for 23 years before changing careers and becoming a chemistry teacher at Ballou High School in the District, died June 18 in the nursing facility at Brighton Gardens in Salt Lake City. He had Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Dr. Carroll, once a longtime resident of Bethesda, joined NIH in 1948 and conducted research in protein chemistry at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

In 1971, he made the decision to teach at the Southeast Washington high school. "He rode the bus an hour-and-a-half to and from work each day in order to do something he knew would have a social impact," said Dana Carroll, his son.

His father became interested in teaching after tutoring in Kensington and having "one glorious success" with a student who later went on to college, the son said. He retired from Ballou in 1986.

Dr. Carroll was born in Logan, Utah, and grew up mostly in Urbana, Ill. He attended Swarthmore College on scholarship, where he captained the swimming team, played football and ran track before graduating with honors in zoology in 1938. He received a PhD in embryology from Harvard University in 1942.

That same year he joined the Army and served as a medical officer at the rank of captain in the Netherlands. In 1945, he resumed his research training at Cornell Medical School in New York.

Described as a man who "had no patience with pretentiousness or pomposity," Dr. Carroll enjoyed lively exchanges of ideas and would often -- maddeningly -- adopt a position simply to start an argument, his son said.

He played tennis and bridge, enjoyed square dancing, and regularly attended classical music concerts. He also taught classes at Georgetown University.

In 2003, he and his wife were recognized by Swarthmore College with a service award and a scholarship in their names.

Through his scientific endeavors, he met researchers from around the world and developed a strong connection with scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, where he spent a sabbatical year in 1962-63.

He and his wife moved to Salt Lake City in 2006.

Survivors, in addition to his son of Salt Lake City, include his wife, Harriett "Bunny" Carroll of Salt Lake City, whom he married in 1941; three other children, Bruce Carroll of Arlington, Mass., Catherine Berry of Silver Spring and Alan Carroll of Dolores, Colo.; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.