In Memoriam: Arthur "Art" Tuthill
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On behalf of the TAPPI Community, we share the unfortunate news that "Art" Tuthill, our much respected colleague and elder statesman of the corrosion world, passed away this past week. He was a long time TAPPI member, since 1978. He became a TAPPI Fellow in 1989.
To say that Tuthill was a stalwart of the Corrosion and Materials Engineering Committee for many years would be true (he received the Anliker Award, the Engineering Division Technical Award & E. H. Neese Prize, and after just more than one decade of membership he was honored as a TAPPI Fellow). But this still does not begin to do justice to his earlier career with Inco and other companies. He was, undoubtedly, a major figure in the world of industrial and marine corrosion engineering.
Those of us who had the good fortune to know and work with Art will have lots of stories and memories. One of our members first encountered him back in England in the late seventies, when they were attending their first Sea Horse Marine Corrosion Conference. "I was astounded at this man in a plaid shirt who seemed to be an inexhaustible fountain of knowledge and practical experience..."
Arthur Tuthill and his sparring partner Frank LaQue dominated the meeting, much to the irritation of some of the British corrosion specialists present. Many years later, at a TAPPI Engineering Conference, this same member experienced even more of his profound knowledge personally as Art led Dave Bennett and myself in a fascinating conversation that started with bleach plant corrosion, and concluded with an account of how the failure of silver-brazed joints on sea water piping was thought to have led to the destruction of the nuclear submarine USS Thresher! Truly, a remarkable corrosion engineer...
Born March 27, 1919, in Staunton, Va. USA, to Tracy Emerson Tuthill and Isabelle Layman Carroll Tuthill. Art Tuthill is survived by his sister, Sallie Tuthill Wallace of Chattanooga, TN; 30 great-grandchildren; 14 grandchildren and 4 children: Edward Hamner Tuthill, William Carroll Tuthill, Peter Hamner Tuhill and Sarah Lou Tuthill. He was an Eagle Scout, a member of the Raven Society and Rotary, the Vestry of St. Peter's Church of Altavista, and a board member of Habitat for Humanity.
Arthur Tuthill and his sparring partner Frank LaQue dominated the meeting, much to the irritation of some of the British corrosion specialists present. Many years later, at a TAPPI Engineering Conference, this same member experienced even more of his profound knowledge personally as Art led Dave Bennett and myself in a fascinating conversation that started with bleach plant corrosion, and concluded with an account of how the failure of silver-brazed joints on sea water piping was thought to have led to the destruction of the nuclear submarine USS Thresher! Truly, a remarkable corrosion engineer...
Born March 27, 1919, in Staunton, Va. USA, to Tracy Emerson Tuthill and Isabelle Layman Carroll Tuthill. Art Tuthill is survived by his sister, Sallie Tuthill Wallace of Chattanooga, TN; 30 great-grandchildren; 14 grandchildren and 4 children: Edward Hamner Tuthill, William Carroll Tuthill, Peter Hamner Tuhill and Sarah Lou Tuthill. He was an Eagle Scout, a member of the Raven Society and Rotary, the Vestry of St. Peter's Church of Altavista, and a board member of Habitat for Humanity.
He graduated from the University of Virginia as a chemical engineer and earned his master's degree in metallurgy from the Carnegie Institute of Technology. He worked in corrosion engineering for Standard Oil, Valco Engineering and International Nickel and as a corrosion consultant for Tuthill Associates. A prominent and specialized corrosion engineer, he authored more than 100 technical papers and received numerous awards in his field.
Prior to his engineering career, Tuthill served his country in the United States Navy. After working as an ordinance officer at Cramp Shipyard, Pa., he served in World War II aboard the USS Miami as Assistant Air Defense Officer in her operations with the battle fleet from Saipan to Okinawa. He retired as Lt. Cdr. in 1945.
There will be a viewing tomorrow, 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, February 20, at McCoy Funeral Home in Blacksburg. Funeral services will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, February 21, at Christ Church in Blacksburg and burial will be 2 p.m. at Spring Hill Cemetery, Lynchburg. Arrangements by McCoy Funeral Home 150 Country Club Dr. SW, Blacksburg, Tennessee.
