John S. (Pete) Wishnok was born October 20, 1938 in Titusville, PA to John P. and Marjorie Wishnok. He attended Titusville public schools except for grades 3-8 at St. Titus School. He graduated from Titusville High School in 1956, and then from the College of Wooster (Ohio) in 1960 with a BS in Chemistry. He taught chemistry and physics, and coached the wrestling team, at Clarkston (WA) high school from 1960 - 1963. Supported initially by a National Science Foundation Academic Year Institute, he studied organic chemistry at Brown University from 1963-1968, earning an MAT(1965), and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry (with Harold Ward) in 1968. He did postdoctoral research at Princeton University during 1968 - 1970 with Paul Schleyer, and joined the chemistry faculty at Boston University in the fall of 1970. After teaching Organic Chemistry at BU for four years, he joined the Department of Nutrition and Food Science (now the Department of Biological Engineering via the Division of Bioengineering and Environmental Health by way of the Division of Toxicology and the Department of Applied Biological Sciences) at MIT in 1974. His research interests include biological mass spectrometry, chemical carcinogenesis, molecular dosimetry, and nitric oxide biochemistry. He also plays (passably) the guitar, banjo, piano, and harmonica and is a photographer specializing in Modern Dance. He has two daughters, Lisa Wishnok , who will sell you a lovely custom-built house in Carrillo, Costa Rica, and Nina Wishnok, who works at the MIT Media Lab (and is a successful artist). He shares a house on Plum Island with his friend Judith Chaffee.