Gavin Pickett
Gavin G. Pickett died June 6th, in the arms of his daughter and surrounded by the light and love of his family and friends. Dr. Pickett passed away after a courageous, two-year battle with cancer. He was a man of passion, of integrity, with a wry sense of humor and the heart of a lion. He was humble but demanded excellence from himself and from everyone around him.
Dr. Pickett was born in Iowa City, IA, in 1950. He moved to Albuquerque in 1965 with his family. He attended Highland High School, where he was an outstanding wrestler, lettering all three years. He was second in state his junior year and would have taken state his senior year if not for the 1968 APS teacher’s strike.
Pickett attended the University of New Mexico where he earned his B.S degree in Biology, his M.S. in Biology and finally, in 1990, his PhD in Molecular Biology. He completed his post-doctorate research at Duke University. While at Duke, Pickett fell in love with Duke Basketball. He remained a loyal fan of Duke through the many years, screaming at the TV for every play, basket, foul, victory or loss.
In 1996, he took a position as Lab Director at Phase One, a new start up laboratory in Santa Fe. This position allowed Dr. Pickett to return to New Mexico with his wife Kris and daughter Jenna. He was an avid outdoorsman with a love of camping, skiing, sailing, biking, shooting, and nature.
Then in 2001, Dr. Pickett accepted a position at UNM doing cancer research. He helped to develop technologies used for detection and prediction methods for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Pickett was instrumental in developing the technologies which would lead to the development of precision medicine, including new and improved chemotherapy treatments for pediatric patients with leukemia. Pickett retired from UNM in 2016 to enjoy working in his greenhouse, traveling with his family, and camping. Though he left his formal position as a researcher at that time he retained a deep-seated love for science, learning, and helping people.
Dr. Pickett is preceded in death by his father, Dr. Roy Pickett. He is survived by his mother Arleta Pickett, partner of over 30 years Kris, his daughter Jenna, brother Jon, and wife, Deborah Bunten, Nephew Ryan Pickett, and Niece Carrie Lucero and her husband Arthur, and grand-nephew and niece Alex Lucero and Sophia Lucero all of Albuquerque. A special thanks to Ambercare hospice and the UNM cancer center team for outstanding care. A celebration of his life will be held later this summer. Donations in his name to any cancer organization would be greatly appreciated.
A celebration of Gavin’s life will be held at the UNM Alumni Chapel at 2:30 PM on Saturday, June 30th. In lieu of flowers donations in his name to any cancer organization would be greatly appreciated.