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Rex Montgomery, PhD

​Rex Montgomery, PhDContact Information

Address: 51 Newton Road, 4-403 BSB
Iowa City , IA 52242

Biography

On Sunday, July 31, 2016, Professor Emeritus Rex Montgomery passed away peacefully at Oaknoll as he neared his 93rd birthday. He was with his children.

Rex was the longest serving member of the department of Biochemistry, a great leader at the University of Iowa, an outstanding carbohydrate biochemist, a devoted father and grandfather, and a wonderful human being.

Rex was a 1946 PhD from the University of Birmingham. After a short stint at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Montgomery began as an assistant professor at the University of Iowa in 1955, and became a full professor in 1963. Dr. Montgomery also served as associate dean for academic affairs in the Carver College of Medicine from 1974-1995, during which time he also held the positions of associate dean of research in the CCOM and interim vice president of research for the University.

His research and scholarly efforts had a major global impact. Two of his textbooks, described as influential and strikingly important, transformed biochemistry education. Dr. Montgomery is admired and appreciated for his remarkable impact as a teacher and mentor.

In 1974, Dr. Montgomery established a new physician assistant program at the University of Iowa, and served as its director until 1976. In the years since, graduates of this program have gone on to help myriad patients throughout the state, nation and the world.

Dr. Montgomery transitioned to emeritus status in 2006 and continued to make an impact in the department and in the field of biochemistry. In addition to his scientific contributions, he and his friends, students and colleagues supported the Department of Biochemistry and many other units on campus with generous financial support.

He will be greatly missed.

Selected Publications

Yang, B.Y., and Montgomery, R. (2007) Alkaline degradation of invert sugar from molasses. Bioresour. Technol. 98:3084-3089.

Gray, J.S.S., and Montgomery, R. (2006) Asymmetric glycosylation of soybean seed coat peroxidase. Carbohydr. Res. 341:198-209.

Yang, B.Y., and Montgomery, R. (2006) Acylation of starch using trifluoroacetic anhydride promoter. Starch/St?rke 58:520-526.

Yang, B.Y. and Montgomery, R. (2005) Oxidation of lactose with bromine. Carbohyr. Res. 340:2698-2705.

Ding, Q., Yang, B.Y. and Montgomery, R. (2004) Structure and hydrodynamic properties of the extracellular polysaccharide from a mutant strain (RA3W) of Erwinia chrysanthemi RA3. Carbohydr. Res. 339(11):2049-2053.

Montgomery, R. (2004) Development of biobased products. Bioresource Tech. 91:1-29. Yang, B.Y., LaBelle, M., Ding, Q., and Montgomery, R. (2003) Physiochemical studies of extracellular polysaccharides of Erwinia chrysanthemi spp. Carbohydr. Polymers 51:336-346.

Yang, B.Y., Ding, Q., Montgomery, R. (2003) Hydrodynamic properties of oxidized extracellular polysaccharides from Erwinia chrysanthemi spp. Carbohydrate Res. 338:2763-2771.

Yang, B.Y., Montgomery, R. (2003) De-icers derived from corn steep water. Bioresource Tech. 90:265-273.

Gray, J.S.S. and Montgomery, R. (2003) Purification and characterization of a peroxidase from corn steep water. J. Agric. Food Chem. 51:1592-1601.

Yang, B.Y., Ding, Q., Montgomery, R. (2002) Extracellular polysaccharides of Erwinia futululu, a bacterium associated with a fungal canker disease of Eucalyptus spp. Carbohydr. Res. 337:2469-2480.

Ding, Q., LaBelle, M., Yang, B.Y., and Montgomery, R. (2003) Physiochemical studies of extracellular polysaccharides of Erwinia chrysanthemi spp. Carbohydr. Polymers 51:333-346.