Stephen M. Denning was born in Murphy, North Carolina, a small town in the foothills of the Appalachians, and “about as far west in North Carolina as you could go”; he grew up in nearby Rutherfordton. Both parents were teachers, and his one sibling, a younger brother, became a teacher—of biology—as well. From an early age, Denning was attracted to science; he remembers being enthralled by Sputnik and the United States’ subsequent space program. Denning loved to read, especially about science. Biographies of scientists like Marie Curie and Louis Pasteur—and of course a chemistry set—encouraged his interest in chemistry and physics. He also evinced an early interest in electronics and took up photography as a hobby as well; this hobby he pursues today, when he has time. He was selected for several programs established to enrich education for gifted children, including the Governor’s School in Winston-Salem, and found that in high school he tended to know more of some subjects (especially mathematics) than the teachers; but he had one outstanding teacher, for biology, who really inspired him. For fun, Denning and his family hiked and camped; Denning played touch football and built rockets. When he was in high school, on weekends and after school he worked in a hospital, where he drew blood and learned to analyze it.

Denning attended Duke University, receiving his BS in chemistry. The chemistry majors of his year formed a close-knit group, doing lab work and generally working together, unlike in the biology department, where competition was more prevalent. Denning applied to graduate schools in chemistry and to medical schools, unsure which course he wanted to pursue. An emeritus professor of chemistry, Marcus Hobbs, convinced him to go into medicine, as there would be more breakthroughs and discoveries in that field than in chemistry. Denning attended Duke Medical School; there he did research with Sheldon Pinnell on collagen antibodies; and then he did his internship and residency at University of Chicago. In Chicago he met his wife, Judith J. Johnson, a nurse in a medical intensive care unit. He then accepted a fellowship in cardiology under Joseph C. Greenfield at Duke University, where he has remained. He joined Barton Haynes’ laboratory where he began research into the development of T cells in the human fetus and in immune response in general. His greatest interest is in the intersection between his clinical work and his research on molecular mechanisms and their therapeutic or interventional value. Denning continues to balance family—his wife, Judith, a nurse anesthetist now, and two young sons—and his work; to attempt to interest medical students in research; and to seek funding for ever more research.