Pettigrew, John Douglas (1943 - 2019)

Summary

Jack Pettigrew was renowned for his ground-breaking work on physiology of binocular vision in a variety of animals, including cats and owls. Other research has included why birds periodically jiggle their eyeballs without moving their heads; an examination of the brain of a fruit-bat leading to the conclusion that it is a primate; a study of the letterwing kite to gain an insight into how an eyeball is formed; and optical images of the response of a living brain to visual stimuli. Pettigrew was Professor of Physiology at the University of Queensland for over 20 years and Director of the Vision, Touch and Hearing Research Centre at the University from 1988 to 2007.

Details

Quote from the Magistrates Court of Tasmania, Coronial Division "Record of Investigation into Death (Without Inquest)" 4 January 2022 of John Douglas Pettigrew:

"Mr Pettigrew was born on the 2 of October 1943 at Wagga Wagga, in NSW and was 75 years of age, single and he resided alone at the date of his death. He was the eldest of three children.

At the age of 2 he moved with his family from Wagga Wagga to Katoomba in NSW where he lived until he studied medicine at the University of Sydney. After Mr Pettigrew completed his studies he completed an internship at the Prince Alfred Hospital before working at a neuroscience laboratory in Sydney.

While studying at university in the 1960's Mr Pettigrew met Iluna Bluwater and they married in 1968. Following their marriage, the couple moved to California where Mr Pettigrew worked for approximately 9 years at the Californian Institute of Technology as a Professor of Physiology. They had three children Tara Kurrajong and Galen Greenleaf who were both born in the USA, and Chloe Callistemon who was born in Brisbane, QLD.

On returning to Australia Mr Pettigrew worked at Monash University for approximately 4 years before the family moved to Brisbane where he worked as the Professor of Physiology at the University of Queensland. Mr Pettigrew continued working at the University of Queensland until
he retired in 2011."

John Pettigrew died in Hobart on 2 May 2019 from injuries suffered in a car crash on the Midland Highway, Kempton on 6 May 2019.

Chronology

1966

Education - BSc Med, University of Sydney

1968

Education - MSc, University of Sydney

1969

Education - MB BS, University of Sydney

1969

Career position - Resident Medical Officer, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, New South Wales

1970 - 1972

Career position - Miller Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of California, Berkeley, California, U.S.A.

1973

Career position - Research Associate, Department of Physiology-Anatomy, University of California, Berkeley, California, U.S.A.

1974 - 1976

Career position - Assistant Professor of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, U.S.A.

1976 - 1981

Career position - Associate Professor of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, U.S.A.

1978

Award - Newcomb-Cleveland Medal, American Association for Advancement of Science

1981 - 1983

Career position - Director, National Vision Research Institute of Australia, Melbourne

1983 - 2006

Career position - Professor of Physiology, University of Queensland

1987

Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Science (FAA)

1987

Award - Fellow, The Royal Society, London (FRS)

1988 - 2007

Career position - Director, Vision, Touch and Hearing Research Centre, University of Queensland

1998 - 2001

Career position - Member of Council, Australian Academy of Science

2001

Award - Centenary Medal for service to Australian society and science in phylogeny

2006

Life event - Retired

2010

Award - H. Barry Collins Medal, Optometrists Association Australia

Related entries

Archival resources

Magistrates Court of Tasmania, State of Tasmania

• Record of Investigation into Death (Without Inquest) - John Dougals Pettigrew, 4 January 2022, 0004/650290/Pettigrew-John-Douglas; Magistrates Court of Tasmania, Coronial Division; Magistrates Court of Tasmania, State of Tasmania. Details

Published resources

Journal Articles

• Anon, 'Professor John 'Jack' Pettigrew FAA FRS 2 October 1943 to 7 May 2019', Australian Academy of Science newsletter, 127 (2019), 16. https://www.science.org.au/academy-newsletter/may-2019-127. Details
• Calford, Mike B., 'Jack Pettigrew (1944 - 2019): an Australian comparative neurologist, and more', Journal of comparative neurology, 528 (17) (2020), 2789-91, https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.24970. Details
• Cole, Barry L., 'H Barry Collin Research Medal warded to Professor Emeritus Jack D. Pettigrew FRS', Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 94 (5) (2011), 401-2. Details
• Mitchell, Donald E., 'The man from Ironbark: a profile of Professor Jack Pettigrew FRS, flamboyant sensory systems researcher and recipient of the H Barry Collin Research Medal', Clinical and experimental optometry, 94 (5) (2011), 494-501. Details
• Pettigrew, Jack D.; and Dreher, Bogdan, 'Peter Orlebar Bishop, 14 June 1917 - 3 June 2012', Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of The Royal Society, 64 (2018), 51-68. Details
• Pettigrew, Jack D.; and Dreher, Bogdan, 'Peter Orlebar Bishop 1917 - 2012', Historical Records of Australian Science, 29 (2) (2018), 162-71. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR17008. Details

Resources

• 'Pettigrew, J D (1943-)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1071661. Details