Charles Edward Whittle Jr.

Published 2:00 am Sunday, September 23, 2012

Charles Edward Whittle Jr., 81, of Knoxville, Tenn., passed away Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012.

Born in Brownsville, he was intellectually gifted and graduated from Centre College in Danville at the age of 18. He went on to receive his Ph.D. in nuclear physics from Washington University in St. Louis at age 21. It was there he met his wife, Suzanne Miller. Chosen as a Fulbright Scholar, he traveled abroad to pursue research at the University of Leiden in The Netherlands. He began his 20-year career as a physics professor first at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, then at his alma mater, Centre College, where he became academic dean. He then returned to research at Oak Ridge Associated Universities in Tennessee as a senior scientist and director of the Institute for Energy Analysis. Upon retirement, he became a consultant and academic dean for Pikeville University in eastern Kentucky. Always an active Rotarian, especially interested in foreign student exchanges, he was selected district governor from 1997-98. Throughout his life, he pursued his hobby of genealogy, for family was very important to him.

He was preceded in death by a daughter, Jessica; and his parents, Charles Sr. and Lillian Skaggs Whittle.

He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Suzanne Whittle; nine children, Charles E. Whittle III, Jane Dentico, Gayl Magnuson, Tamara Whittle, Thomas Whittle, David Whittle, Jeffrey Whittle, Mary Whittle and Michael Whittle; and numerous grandchildren. Also surviving are five brothers, Joseph, Noah, John, James and William (Bob); and three sisters, Charlene Fields, Elizabeth (Betty) Bilyeu and Anne Whittle.

A memorial service will be at 4 p.m. Friday at St. Stephens Episcopal Church, Oak Ridge, Tenn., with a brief reception afterward in the fellowship hall.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to The Rotary Foundation, Rotary No. 578116, 14280 Collections Center Drive, Chicago, IL 60693 or online at www.rotary.org/tributegifts.