Author: John Gouch

Clemson University mourns the death of Marlyne R. Walker, a senior extension agent for Fairfield County. Walker died November 29, 2022. She had 21 years of service at Clemson and was a student enrolled in the Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences doctoral program.

“Marlyne was a selfless public servant, and will be truly missed by her colleagues and communities that she served,” said George Dickert, Cooperative Extension’s district extension director for the Upstate. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Marlyne’s family, friends, students and colleagues as they grieve during this extremely difficult time.”

Walker’s celebration of life will be held on Saturday December 3, 2022, at 11 a.m. at Calvary Baptist Church in Chester, S.C. Burial will follow in Benson Cemetery. A public viewing will be held 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, December 2, 2022, and family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. at King’s Funeral, 135 Cemetery Street, Chester, SC., during the AKA Memorial and drop-in everyone is welcome.

Memorial donations may be made to Marlyne Rembert Walker C/O P.O. Box 552 Chester, SC 29706, attention Walker Scholarship Fund.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is providing grief counseling to students. Any student who wants to speak to a counselor should contact CAPS at 864-656-2451. An after-hours CAPS counselor can be reached by calling 864-656-2451 and selecting option 2 to speak to a counselor.

Counseling services are also available to faculty and staff through Deer Oaks, the University’s Employee Assistance Program provider, at 866-327-2400.

Clemson University mourns the death of Richard S. Miller, an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Miller died October 31, 2022. He worked at Clemson nearly 24 years.

Service information will be shared when it becomes available.

“Richard was a talented researcher, a great colleague and a good citizen of the department who always cared for his students as well as the staff and faculty in the department,” said D.W. Reynolds Distinguished Professor and Department Chair Atul Kelkar. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, students, faculty and staff as they grieve during this extremely difficult time.”

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is providing grief counseling to students. Any student who wants to speak to a counselor should contact CAPS at 864-656-2451. An after-hours CAPS counselor can be reached by calling 864-656-2451 and selecting option 2 to speak to a counselor.

Counseling services are also available to faculty and staff through Deer Oaks, the University’s Employee Assistance Program provider, at 866-327-2400.

More information will be posted on the University’s obituary page as it is received. Miller’s full obituary is available online.

Clemson University Obituaries

Obituaries for active employees, retirees and current students are issued by University Relations once we are able to confirm the information. Since faculty and staff live and work throughout the state, we depend on university departments, colleagues or friends to notify us of the deaths of active employees and retirees.

Retired professor Joyce “Marlene” Snyder, 73, of Whitefish, Montana, died October 22, 2022.

She earned her doctorate in education at the University of Nebraska, taught junior high and was a professor at the University of Nebraska before serving as a research associate professor for 15 years in Clemson’s Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life. She retired in 2015.

Snyder adapted and implemented the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program throughout the United States and the world. She was national director of Development for the Olweus program, which is based at Clemson.

Her full obituary is posted online.

Retiree Albert Cooper Littlejohn Jr., 75, passed away on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, in
Anderson.

Littlejohn worked for Clemson University’s Communications/Video Production Center for 40 years and served as director for 13 years until his retirement in 2014.

A graduate of the College of William and Mary, he was director of the student radio station, WCWM. He earned a master’s degree in Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Following graduation, Littlejohn joined the U.S. Army and served in the Vietnam War. He achieved the rank of captain.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia (Ginger) Pruitt Littlejohn; a daughter, Angela (Angie) Frances Littlejohn; and, a son, Cooper Austin Littlejohn.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, November 2, at Fort Hill Presbyterian Church with a reception following in Tartan Hall.

His full obituary is posted online.

Jay Wallace Lathrop of Asheville, Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering, died on October 9, 2022.

Lathrop entered the University of Maine as a 14-year-old and decided he wanted to become a physicist. At 15, he transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he received bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in physics.

Lathrop was employed for seven years by the National Bureau of Standards/Diamond Ordnance Fuze Laboratories in Washington, D.C.; for 10 years by Texas Instruments; and for 21 years by Clemson University, retiring in 1988.

He was a primary instigator of the technology revolution that occurred with development of “the chip” in the 1950s. It was through his work at NBS/DOFL that photography was first used in the fabrication of transistors, a procedure for which his group coined the word “photolithography” and which is still in use today. For this work, he and members of his team were awarded the Army’s highest civilian achievement 1958.

At Texas Instruments, he worked with Jack Kilby, Nobel laureate and co-inventor of the integrated circuit (microchip). The other microchip co-inventor was his graduate school friend, Robert Noyce. Lathrop developed methods of fabricating microchips using the technique he had pioneered at NBS/DOFL and became director of Advanced Technology for the Semiconductor Division at Texas Instruments.

At Clemson, he directed the Electrical Engineering Department’s transition from vacuum tubes to solid state technology. He was namesake and first recipient of the IEEE’s “Jay Lathrop Outstanding South Carolina EE Education Award.” He was a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEEE). In 2011, he was inducted into the Thomas Green Clemson Academy of Engineers and Scientists.

His full obituary is posted online.

Carl Stassen Thompson, 75, of Seneca, Professor Emeritus of Applied Economics and Statistics, died September 17, 2022.

Thompson worked at Clemson University for nearly 38 years; first, as a professor of teaching and research in Agricultural Economics and then as director of Land Management. He also served as president of the Faculty Senate during his time at Clemson University. He retired in 2010.

Thompson was a graduate of Murray State University, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics at the University of Kentucky.

His full obituary is posted online.

Ernest G. Baxa Jr., 82, Professor Emeritus of Electrical and Computer Engineering, died Aug. 31, 2022.

Baxa earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia before receiving his master’s degree and doctoral degree in electrical engineering at Duke University.

He moved his family to Clemson in 1980 and finished his career teaching Electrical Engineering at Clemson University for 25 years.

Baxa’s full obituary is posted online.

Retiree Frank McCloy Crane, 88, of Six Mile, died Aug. 27, 2022.

Crane retired in 1992 after 34 years at Clemson University. He was plumbing supervisor in University Facilities when he retired.

Funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, in the Chapel of Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Six Mile Church of God of Prophecy Cemetery.

The family will receive friends prior to the service from 1 to 1:45 p.m. at the funeral home.

His full obituary is posted online.

Retiree Martha “Missy” Thompson Nail, 63, of Pendleton died Aug. 17, 2022. She worked at Clemson University from June 2000 to 2011 and again from June 2019 to January 2022, a total of 14 years. She worked in the Mailing and Distribution Center and University Facilities’ Custodial Shop.

Nail attended T.L. Hanna High School and Anderson College. She was a member of Pendleton United Methodist Church. In addition to her work at Clemson, she worked in management at BI-LO.

The funeral service will be held Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022, at 1 p.m. at Pendleton United Methodist Church with the Rev. Ricky Howell officiating. Friends and family may pay their respects and sign the guest register prior to the service from 12 to 1 p.m. There will be no visitation. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Her full obituary is posted online.

Former professor and acting Dean of Engineering Col. Everett Lane Thomas Jr. (Ret.), 91, died Friday, Aug. 5, 2022.

Thomas joined the faculty of Clemson University in 1974 as director of Systems Engineering, a new graduate program. He also served as acting dean of Engineering from 1982 to 1983 and taught undergraduate industrial engineering prior to his retirement as full professor in 1985.

He attended Oklahoma Baptist University for two years on a track scholarship. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Oklahoma State University and joined the Air Force to become a fighter pilot. Later he would receive his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and finally a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from OSU.

Thomas served as a fighter pilot in Vietnam, where he flew combat missions to locate and rescue downed pilots. He was awarded two Silver Stars for valor in combat, a Bronze Star for heroism, a Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement in flight and many other honors.

After returning from Vietnam, he went on to become the director of engineering for the B-1 bomber program at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, before retiring after 23 year of service as a full colonel in 1974.

After retiring from Clemson In 1984, he embarked into business, founding Integrated Support Systems Inc. in Clemson, which designs database software to manage critical information related to the design and maintenance of complex equipment. ISS continues to thrive today in Seneca.

He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Jean; daughters, Susan (Jose) Sol, Sarah (Phil) Maiberger, and his son, Reid Thomas.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, at First Baptist Clemson with visitation following. The service will be live-streamed at https://fbcclemson.com/.

Thomas’ full obituary is posted online.