Bayard Thayer Storey

 Bayard Thayer Storey

Bayard Storey passed away on Sunday, June 4, 2017 of complications from congestive heart failure.  He was pre-deceased by his wife of 56 years, Frances Elliot Storey, in 2014.  He is survived by his four children, Gwen Feher, Bayard, Jr., John, and Frances Storey, and seven grandchildren. In addition, he is survived by his sister-in-law Helen (Gay) Scott, and many nephews and nieces. 
Bayard grew up in South Hamilton, Massachusetts and attended Groton School, graduating in 1949.  He received a B.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University, and an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which included a formative year at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.  After finishing his Ph.D. in 1958, Frances and he moved to Philadelphia where he worked for Rohm and Haas designing ion exchange resins, some of which are still used today in industrial and laboratory processes.  In 1965, his fascination with biochemistry brought him to the University of Pennsylvania laboratories of Britton Chance.  At Penn, Bayard focused his research on mitochondria which provide energy to all cells.  During this time, he often recruited his children to collect skunk cabbages, prized for their enormous mitochondria, from various wetlands around Ambler.  
Bayard’s biochemical research evolved into the energetics of sperm, sperm-egg fertilization and further studies in reproductive physiology, ultimately leading to joint appointments as a Professor in Penn’s Medical School and Department of Physiology, from where he became emeritus in 1997, and fully retired in 2007.  Bayard had numerous honors during his career including the Distinguished Andrologist Award from the American Society of Andrology in 2000, and a special symposium in 2012 in honor of his 80th birthday that brought together his former students, post-docs, and colleagues. 
Bayard and Frances were patrons of the arts in Philadelphia and were actively involved in the Philadelphia Museum of Art for over 50 years, as well as founding members of the Barnes Foundation Collection campus on the Parkway.   After raising their four children in the pastoral beauty of Whitemarsh Township, Bayard and Frances moved to the Fairmount section of Philadelphia in 1986. 
They were very involved in the Fairmount neighborhood which has evolved and flourished in the past 30 years.  After moving to the city, Bayard also became more active in politics and, in particular, women’s rights to choose their reproductive outcomes.  This interest arose from his research on fertility – he once said, “It’s the woman who has to do all the work, and carry the burden.  No legislator has the right to regulate that.” He also promoted organizations such as 314Action which supports citizens with scientific backgrounds to seek political office.  Although slowed by physical limitations in his last years, he was proud to support progressive causes and candidates through the 2016 election. 
A memorial service will be held in the fall to celebrate Bayard’s life. The family requests donations be made to The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum), Penn Wissahickon Hospice, or Planned Parenthood in lieu of flowers.