Duncan
was born in 1957, at the dawn of the space age, to John Everett McRee,
an artist and Southern gentleman and Joan Kilburn, a leader in special
education and Montana cowgirl. Duncan was born in San Francisco and
grew up in Mill Valley California on the slopes of Mount Tamalpais. He
did his B.S. work at the University of California at Davis and recieved
his Ph.D. from Duke University. At UC Davis he met his wife, Janice
Yuwiler and they now live in San Diego with their children, Alex, Kevin
and Alisa. Email me: dmcree at san.rr.com
My Book
Practical
Protein Crystallography is a popular book for advanced students studying the art of protein crystallography that I co-authored with Peter David. It is meant for anyone who wants to actually solve and analyze protein structures and includes lots of hands-on tips and guidelines. There are plenty of other books on theory so this book only covers theory where it actually helps to get the job done. It features the software I wrote, XtalView. The book is currently in its second
edition. (Shameless commerce stuff: Click on the book at left to go to
Amazon.com.) Our editor keeps trying to get us to do a third edition, but I can never seem to find the time. How I found time to do the first two editions is a total mystery to me. For the second edition Peter kindly helped me; for the third edition I will probably need a ghost-writer.
Vistage
I am a member of Vistage, formerly known as TEC, that brings leaders of companies together with other leaders to help them make better decisions and to give them a forum for learning about business and leadership principles. My group leader is the remarkable Mark Fackler, who beides leading Vistage groups also runs TKF, a non-profit organization dedicated to stopping kids from killing other kids.
Avocations and Family
My Family
A picture of the family on a recent trip to Yosemite. From left to right:
Kevin, 15. He's an accomplished actor, game-designer and drummer.
Me, age unstated.
Alisa (in front), Age 10. She is the cute one in the family, very popular and has an artistic eye.
Janice, my wife. She is a writer of children's books and an expert in public health, specifically childhood safety.
Alex, 18. Alex is a special child. He can't talk but he knows how to relax and enjoy life better than any of us.
City of San Francisco exiting a tunnel high in the Sierras on the Tamalpais Valley RR
My Artistic Work
I
find my chief expression as an artist in the form of model railroading.
I enjoy re-creating the beauty of the natural and the man-made worlds
and preserving history in the form of the Tamalpais Valley Railroad. These are definitely not "toy trains". The
layout runs through the three bedrooms of our house. One of the
terminii is located in the master bathroom. Click on the picture to
see more pictures of the TVRR layout as it climbs from the waterfront
of Sausalito, over the Sierras, descends along the Truckee River and
pushes on through the Nevada desert.
Photography
Another hobby of mine is photography. My dad was an artist and naturalist and my mother was an avid outdoorswoman, so I developed an appreciation of montains and nature. This is a picture of some tall grass stalks that I found on a hike in the Santa Monica Mountains. I also took the banner photo of Half Dome in winter at the top of the page. Half Dome is a total cliche but it is still the coolest mountain peak anywhere. My current camera is an Olympus E500, a digital SLR. I have totally embraced digital photography - no more film for me. SLR's are the best because they make a satisfying click sound as the mirror flips up that tells you have taken apicture. I have a soft spot for Olympus as my first real camera was the now classic OM1. Alas, that camera was stolen by someone touring our previous house when it was for sale.
A winter picture taken in Yosemite Valley with lots of swirling clouds.
Copyright 2008, Duncan E. McRee Last updated 6/18/2008
