Gary L. Wilcox
On May 25, 2021, Gary L. Wilcox, loving husband and father, passed away at the age of 74 in Santa Barbara, California after a short, but intense, battle with cancer. Gary was born in Ventura, California to Floyd and Ruby Wilcox and married Susan (Scott) Wilcox on December 20, 1969.
Gary attended UC Santa Barbara and earned his BA in Cellular and Organismal Biology, MA and PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He was a Professor of Microbiology at UCLA for 10 years, had over 70 scientific publications and 15 patents. He then became an accomplished executive in biotechnology with dreams of helping those with untreated diseases. He co-founded, was CEO and President of Ingene (International Genetic Engineering) in Santa Monica in 1982 and after 11 years, left to play a key role in the development of Cialis for Icos, Corporation in Seattle, WA. Most recently, he was Chairman, CEO and Founder of Cocrystal Discovery in Bothell, WA, working to develop antiviral drugs, and co-founder and member of the Board of Directors of ADRx Corporation in Thousand Oaks working to develop drugs for amyloid diseases. Gary was on the Board of Directors of numerous private, public and non-profit companies and served on the UC Santa Barbara Board of Trustees and the Pepperdine University Board.
Along with his professional accomplishments, Gary loved to travel with his family and had visited over 60 countries combining his love of travel with his love of photography. Most recently, Gary and Sue celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on a ship in Antarctica. He is survived by his wife, Sue, son David Wilcox, son John Wilcox, daughter-in-law Melissa Wilcox and grandson, Max Wilcox. He was a brilliant and loving husband, father, grandfather and friend.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Wilcox Family Chair in BioMedicine at UC Santa Barbara (To: UC Regents – memo Wilcox Family Chair in BioMedicine. Address: Office of Development, 4219 Cheadle Hall, UCSB; Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2013) or a charity of your choice.
Due to Covid and family wishes, there are no plans at this time for any services.