Donald Putnam Abbott (October 14, 1920 – January 18, 1986) was an invertebrate zoologist and professor of biology at the Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University from 1950 through 1982.
In 1950 he accepted an offer to join the faculty at the Hopkins Marine Station, Pacific Grove, CA, where he spent his entire professional career.
In 1953 Donald participated in a research cruise to Ifaluk Atoll, Micronesia, but was struck down by polio mellitus when he returned and nearly lost his life.
He remained active professionally right until the end, meeting with colleagues to discuss projects and manuscripts even the day before his passing.
In 1950 Stanford University hoped to recruit the prominent British zoologist Charles Maurice Yonge to join the Faculty of Hopkins Marine Station.
He accepted Stanford's offer and joined the faculty at Hopkins Marine Station, where he remained his entire career (1950–1982).
In addition to his many research publications, Abbott contributed to two major books that are constantly used by invertebrate zoologists even now, decades after they were published.
More than 150 of Abbott's colleagues, students, and friends attended these scientific meetings and many of them presented research that covered the wide span of topics that would have interested him.