This post was updated Sept. 2 at 10:20 p.m.

Daniel Atkinson, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry, died Feb. 2. He was 102 years old.

Atkinson, one of the namesakes of the UCLA Daniel E. Atkinson & Charles A. West Prizes in Metabolic Biochemistry, was an influential figure in 20th century biochemistry. He was known for his work in metabolic regulation, which added to the understanding of cell regulation and the urea cycle.

Born April 8, 1921, in Pawnee City, Nebraska, Atkinson was the eldest of four children, according to an obituary released by the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Atkinson served as a naval officer during World War II, said Steven Clarke, a professor of biochemistry and longtime colleague of Atkinson’s.

Clarke added that Atkinson was kind and honest.

“He was gruff and intimidating, but the thing about him was that he was always thoughtful and kind and intelligent,” he said. “At faculty meetings, he didn’t speak up right away and he spoke quietly, but when he spoke, he had something to say and it was sort of like he was right and he was kind.”

Atkinson earned his doctoral degree from Iowa State University in 1949, according to the obituary. He then joined the Department of Chemistry at UCLA in 1952 and was promoted to a position as full professor in 1962 before retiring in 1992.

Atkinson’s discovery of the concept of energy charge was used to explain how cells regulate metabolism based on energy availability, Clarke said.

Clarke – the director of the UCLA Molecular Biology Institute – said Atkinson’s continued studies on metabolism in the area of urea biosynthesis challenged the prevailing view of the function of the urea cycle.

Clarke said Atkinson proved that the urea cycle’s function was to handle products of protein metabolism, showing it removes both excess nitrogen and base, which is crucial for maintaining normal blood pH.

While such processes may seem complex, Clarke said Atkinson was good at making them understandable through analogies from his time in the navy. One example of this, Clarke said, was a comparison between human energy metabolism and a car battery.

Astrid Chapman, an undergraduate and later doctoral student of Atkinson’s, said he had a distinct sense of humor.

“It (his teaching) was very stern and sort of serious,” she said. “But then he would sort of mumble a little joke.”

Chapman, who worked in Atkinson’s lab for several years, said his lecture style involved no notes and a piece of chalk.

“You never got the impression that it was sort of this incessant drive to get over him to get something publishable,” she said. “You worked, but you felt you had time to think about things.”

Chapman said Atkinson gave students the freedom to decide their academic careers and research, rather than pressuring them to make decisions based on what he wanted to see. She added that she continues to keep a copy of his book on her desk years after taking his class.

Atkinson’s daughter, Ellen Momsen, said she remembers her father as a dedicated scientist and someone who genuinely enjoyed his work at UCLA.

“He’d talk a lot about it around the dining room table,” she said. “And several of us (his children) went on into sciences as well.”

Momsen also said her father loved the outdoors, describing camping trips and weekend hikes.

Atkinson composed over 90 scientific publications and trained more than 30 doctoral students and 20 postdoctoral researchers during his career, according to the obituary.

Both Clarke and Momsen said Atkinson had a history of challenging the scientific establishment. Clarke said Atkinson’s 1977 book “Cellular Energy Metabolism and Its Regulation” was a provocative challenge to conventional biochemistry that defied the established views in the field.

Clarke added that, while Atkinson’s approach prevented him from receiving broader recognition at the time, it ultimately led to significant contributions in the field.

“It’s a story that turned out to be right,” Clarke said.

After retiring from UCLA, Atkinson moved to Oregon in 2011 and remained intellectually engaged for the remainder of his life, Momsen said. She added that he loved to play card games with his family, both in person and virtually, until the day before his death.

“UCLA was just where he wanted to be,” Momsen said. “He loved the colleagues, he loved the campus, he loved UCLA.”