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TO EXPRESS THE PROFOUND SORROW OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES UPON THE PASSING OF DR. JAMES ROBERT DURIG OF RICHLAND COUNTY AND TO EXTEND THEIR DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS LARGE AND LOVING FAMILY AND HIS MANY FRIENDS.
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives were saddened to learn of the death of Dr. James Robert Durig at the age of eighty-four on Tuesday, January 7, 2020; and
Whereas, born in the Buffalo Township of Washington County, Pennsylvania, on April 30, 1935, he graduated from Claysville High School in 1953; and
Whereas, Dr. Durig worked with the B&O Railroad for a year before he entered Washington and Jefferson College where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1958 magna cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa; and
Whereas, he was awarded the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship to pursue a doctorate in physical chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and
Whereas, Dr. Durig was a distinguished professor emeritus at the University of South Carolina where he had been a professor from 1962 to 1993 and where he had served as the Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics from 1973 to 1993; and
Whereas, from 1993 to 2016, he was a professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, serving as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1993 to 2000, and was recognized there as an emeritus professor; and
Whereas, one of the most distinguished chemists in the global scientific community, Dr. Durig supervised more than 100 doctoral students during his forty-eight-year career as an educator; and
Whereas, Dr. Durig authored more than a thousand academic refereed journal articles about vibrational and rotational spectroscopy and participated in conferences and gave lectures on his scientific expertise all over the world; and
Whereas, together with his beloved wife of sixty years, Marlene Sprowls Durig, he reared three fine children: Douglas Durig of Sewanee, Tennessee; and Bryan Durig and Stacey Hamm, both of Columbia. His children blessed him with the affection of seven adoring grandchildren: Nicole Durig Quinlan, Mallory Durig, Delaney Durig, Meagan Durig, Kathryn Hamm, Jamie Hamm, and Laura Hamm; and
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are grateful for the life and legacy of James Durig and his contributions to young minds in the Palmetto State and for the example of academic excellence and inquiry he set in the field of science. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, express their profound sorrow upon the passing of Dr. James Robert Durig of Richland County and extend their deepest sympathy to his large and loving family and his many friends.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Dr. James Robert Durig.
This web page was last updated on February 5, 2020 at 1:11 PM