Obituary: James Allison Luker

James Allison Luker of Prescott, Ariz., passed away peacefully May 19, 2010. Born Feb. 5, 1923, in Yazoo City, Miss., James attended LSU, then left the Deep South to attend M.I.T. for his master's, then received a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from NorthWestern University.

James met and married Peggie Burpitt of College Park, Ga., in 1948. He was a professor at Syracuse University for years, then was promoted to Dean of the Engineering Department where he served for over 20 years. James and Peggie moved to Prescott in 1982.

He was the father of four, a lieutenant in the Army, world traveler, and an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hiking, fishing, sailing, skiing, tobogganing, skating and tennis. He will be greatly missed by family and friends. A brilliant man, best remembered for his kind heart and sense of humor.

Preceding James in death were his parents and his only brother, William.

James is survived by his wife, Peggie, and four children, Laurie, Lin, James and Julie; as well as six grandchildren.

Heritage Memory Mortuary assisted the family.

A memorial service will be scheduled in the not-so-distant future.

Information provided by survivors.


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