4/4/2008
Former EES Professor Thomas D. Furman Dies
Professor Thomas DeSaussure Furman, Sr., of Pickens, SC, died Thursday morning,
March 27, 2008 at his home at Table Rock, SC. Condolences may be expressed
online at
www.robinsonfuneralhomes.com or in person at ROBINSON FUNERAL HOME -
DOWNTOWN EASLEY, SC. Visit their guestbook at
www.charleston.net/deaths. The
obituary shown below is a modified version of the one originally published in
the Charleston Post & Courier on March 30, 2008.
Professor Furman was born in Milledgeville, GA on November 8, 1915, the
oldest child of the late Dr. William Baker and Mellicent Bacot (DeSaussure)
Furman. He was raised in Easley, SC and graduated from Easley High School in
1932. He graduated from the Citadel in 1936 with a BS degree in Civil
Engineering and was employed for a number of years by the S.C. Highway
Department and by Harland Bartholomew & Associates of St. Louis, MO. He served
in the 29th Special and the 109th Construction Battalions (Sea Bees) of the US
Navy during World War II and spent 15 months in the South Pacific Theater. After
release from the Navy, he returned to Edgefield, SC and joined the Quattlebaum
Engineering Company of Johnson, SC. In 1949, he took a leave of absence and
earned a Masters degree at the University of Florida.
In April 1951, he joined the University of Florida as an Assistant Professor
of Civil Engineering and Assistant Research Professor. He was one of the
founding faculty members in 1966 of the Department of Environmental Engineering
Sciences at the University of Florida. He served as President of the Florida
Engineering Society, the Florida Water Pollution Control Association and the
Florida Council of Engineering Societies. He served as a Director and a
Director-at-large of the Water Pollution Control Association and a Director of
the National Society of Professional Engineers. He was a Fellow of the American
Society of Civil Engineers and the Florida Engineering Society and a Diplomate
of the American Academy of Environmental Engineering. He was a Registered
Engineer in South Carolina and Florida. He co-authored a book and authored 30
technical and professional articles. He was recipient of the Arthur Sidney Bedel
Award, and two Distinguished Service Awards given by the Water Pollution Control
Association. He received a Distinguished Teaching Award from Florida Blue Key
and four awards given annually by Tau Beta Pi for Excellence in Undergraduate
Teaching. He was named Engineer of the Year by the Florida Chapter of the
American Society of
Civil Engineers. He was a member of Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xl, Phi Kappa Phi,
Omicron Delta Kappa, and the Florida Blue Key. In July 1980, he retired from the
University of Florida as Professor Emeritus of Environmental Engineering
Sciences. He returned to live in Pickens County, SC.
Interested in history and genealogy since childhood, he was a member of The
South Carolina Historical Society, the Huguenot Society of South Carolina and
The University South Caroliniana Society. He served as President of the
Greenville Chapter of the South Carolina Genealogical Society for several years.
He was Genealogist of the Heyward Family Association and authored a book,
Ancestors and Descendants of Nathaniel Heyward. He was a member of the Saint
Cecelia Society and the Sons of the American Revolution. He married in October
1940, Harriet Adams Mims (1917-1980) of Edgefield, SC, daughter of James Talton
and Emily Octavia (Adams) Mims. They were parents of four children: two sons,
Thomas DeSaussure Furman, and Richard Adams Furman, and two daughters, Harriet
Keith Furman and Susan Heyward Furman. In addition to his parents, he is
predeceased by his first wife of 40 years, Harriet Adams Mims, step-mother, Ruth
DeSaussure Furman, and two sisters, Caroline Heyward (Furman) Hamilton of
Clemson, SC and Mellicent DeSaussure (Furman) White of Easley, SC. He is
survived by his second wife of 27 years, Anne (Aldrich) Furman of the home.
Surviving children are Thomas DeSaussure Furman and wife Susan (Web) of Concord,
MA, their son John Webb Furman; Harriet Keith (Furman) Rice and husband Chester
Allen Rice of Woolrich, ME; Richard Adams Furman and wife Judith (Fletcher) of
Gainsville, FL, their children, Jennifer Hodge married to Gregory Paul Jacobs,
Katherine Adams Married to James Jackson Swick, III, and Thomas Fletcher Furman;
Susan Heyward (Furman) Kohout and husband Patrick Richard Kohout and Ryan Keith
Furman Kohout. He is also survived by his brother, William Baker Furman, Jr. of
Pickens, SC, and his sister, Janette (Furman) Hamilton of Clemson, SC. He is
also survived by many beloved nieces, nephews, family, friends, and his cat
Gateway. He was soft spoken with a glimmer in his blue eyes and a whisper of a
smile. His lifelong and
everlasting gift of genealogical research is a legacy to his family and the
state of South Carolina. His countless biographies, accurate and complete with
pictures, anecdotes, and scandalous tidbits are cherished and will be maintained
through time. We have lost a beautiful person indeed. A celebration of life
memorial service will be held at a later date. A private burial will be in
Edgefield, SC.
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EES PhD student Yu-Mei Hsu received the 2007-08 HHMI Graduate Student Award for her accomplishment in mentoring undergraduate students Joshua Kollett and Katherine Wysocki in research. Their research was to evaluate the exposure potential of sulfuric acid mist at phosphate fertilizer facilities and to investigate the positive sulfate artifact in sulfuric acid measurement using NIOSH Method 7903. Yu-Mei is pursuing her Ph D under Dr. Chang-Yu Wu.
Professor David Mazyck has been selected by the students in the Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences to receive the 2008 John J. McCreary Award for the Faculty Member of the Year. Please congratulate him on winning this important award.
On Tuesday, February 5th, a presentation was held to recognize Ravi Kadambala as the first recipient of the W. Lamar and Juanita S. Miller Scholarship in Solid and Hazardous Waste Studies. Ravi Kadambala is currently pursuing his Ph.D. with Dr. Timothy Townsend, who received his Ph.D. under the direction of Dr. Miller. Ravi’s research focuses on the development of design parameters to add liquid and air to a landfill to operate it as a bioreactor.