David T. Yue: In Memoriam

David T. Yue David Tuckchow Yue, a renowned biophysicist who dedicated his life to the study of voltage-gated calcium (CaV) channels, passed away suddenly on December 23, 2014 from cardiac arrest. David was a passionate, dedicated, and brilliant scientist who pursued fundamental mechanistic understanding of CaV channel regulation with quantitative rigor, child-like wonder, and remarkable creativity. To those who knew him (both scientists and non-scientists alike), David’s tremendous enthusiasm for science and the passion he brought to seeking truth was both infectious and inspirational. David’s deep appreciation of the process of scientific discovery is aptly captured by a quote from a 2006 essay he wrote entitled ‘‘The Privilege of Discovery’’: ‘‘Every so often, the veil of confusing experimental results is parted, and something deep and beautiful about how biological life works is revealed. It is as if a syllable that God spoke becomes suddenly audible. The thrill of unearthing such ’God speak’ is one of the special rewards of my profession.’’ David was born in Midland, Michigan on February 13, 1957 to parents Alfred and Virginia Yue, whom David credited for imbuing him with a ‘‘passion for discovery’’ and teaching him the ‘‘virtue of scholarship.’’ Growing up in California, David’s love for science was evident at an early age; he would often rescue old, discarded equipment and bring it back to life. In fact, David even became a licensed ham radio operator at the tender age of 11. David attended Harvard University where he studied biochemistry, graduating magna cum laude in 1979. From there he went to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (JHUSOM), where he would spend the rest of his illustrious career. David received his MD and PhD from Johns Hopkins in 1987 under the instruction of Kiichi Sagawa, whom David credited with teaching him to ‘‘search wherever the scent of truth appeared.’’ During this period, David dreamed of ‘‘melding engineering and molecular-level biology,’’ an endeavor encouraged by his mentor. With this goal in mind, David spent time in W. Gil