Dr. Terry W. Feagin
Dr. Terry W. Feagin, 79, passed away on October 29, 2024 in Houston, Texas. He was born on March 27, 1945 in Houston, Texas to Frank J. Feagin and Hanna Griffin Feagin. Terry is survived by his sons Bryce, Kyle and Russell Feagin, daughter-in-laws Grace and Estela Feagin, brother Joe Feagin, brother-in-law Bob Stripling, nephews William Stripling, Sheryl Stripling, Michelle Feagin, and Trevor Feagin, grandchildren Olivia Feagin and Mia Canela, and numerous family members and friends.
Terry earned degrees from Rice University and the University of Texas, Austin. He worked for the National Research Council and the National Academy of Sciences while in residence at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, as well as working for and with NASA in other capacities throughout his career, including on space shuttle computer systems. He taught at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville as a Professor and Head in the Department of Computer Science, and later at the University of Houston at Clear Lake as a Professor in the Department of Computer Science. He had a passion for taking care of his children and loved to engage in their interests. He was a cool guy to hang around and lived a good life.
A memorial will be held on Saturday, November 16 at 11:00 AM at Clear Lake United Methodist Church, 16335 El Camino Real, Houston, Texas 77062. In lieu of flowers those wishing to make a memorial donation in Terry’s memory may do so to the 50th Anniversary Scholarship Fund at the University of Houston at Clear Lake (https://giving.uh.edu/uhcl).
I first met Terry Feagin during Rice University’s freshmen orientation week in early September 1963. We quickly became friends and soon were the best of friends. This friendship was strengthened by both of us becoming math majors and taking Rice’s new advanced math track. This track was for freshmen who had received a 5 on the AP Calculus exam. It began with the notorious Math 220, a new, two semester advanced calculus course with a textbook that was used in Princeton’s math Ph.D. program, the best in the world. Those who survived took a new two-semester course in advanced linear algebra (not high school algebra) in our sophomore year, wrapping up with a new two-semester course in advanced topology in our junior year. The rest of our math courses were the standard ones, such as differential and partial differential equations, probability and statistics, and so on. Not only did Terry make it through these math courses, he also double-majored in math and physics. If it’s not obvious yet, I’ll say it outright: Terry was an extremely bright guy. He also had a great sense of humor and was fun to be around. In our senior year we finally became roommates, something not possible because as a Houston resident Terry had to live at home owing to a shortage of on-campus housing. Terry was also a terrific athlete. One of my outstanding memories is of a touch football game we played on the lawn in front of our dorm. Terry caught a pass and started running full speed down the sideline. All of a sudden a member of the opposing team came charging towards Terry. Running full steam, Terry jumped in the air, vaulted over his opponent, and kept going until he scored a touchdown. We all stood there with our mouths open, hardly believing we had just seen such a move. During the week before our graduation, my youngest brother came to visit and we three took a road trip, largely to check out Austin and UT Austin, where Terry was going to do graduate work in aerospace engineering, culminating in his Ph.D. We drove to Austin and then down to Mexico, where we had adventures that we talked about for many years thereafter. On our way back we stopped at Padre Island, where Terry’s car got stuck in the sand. Terry managed to convince a couple of guys on the beach to help us move the car onto more solid ground. A year after we graduated Rice, about September 1968, I flew back to Houston to be the best man for Terry’s marriage to Diane. I later saw Terry in Washington, D.C. where he was working at the Goddard Space Center and a few more times when he visited Los Angeles, where I was living, for various conferenced. I also met Terry several times at Rice reunions. However, living in different cities, having families, and working on careers kept our visits very infrequent. However, it was always great when we did get together. For now, all I can do for my good friend Terry is to grieve his passing and wish we had spent more time together.