JOHN ALPHIN
Died Feb. 14, 2013
Dr. John Gilbert Alphin, 77, passed away Thursday afternoon, Feb. 14, 2013, at McLeod Hospital in Florence, S.C.
Services to celebrate his life will be held today, Feb. 17, 2 p.m. at Tyndall Funeral Home in Mount Olive. The funeral service will be officiated by Pastor Wanda Simmons. A visitation will immediately follow the service. The interment will take place in the Gilbert E. Alphin Jr. and Eva Grady Alphin Family Cemetery in Mount Olive.
Friends and family are being received at the Gilbert E. Alphin Jr. home place, now the home of Vance and Ann Alphin.
Born at his Grandmother Grady's home, John Gilbert grew up near Summerlin's Crossroads in Duplin County. At a young age, he was baptized at Bethel United Methodist Church, the family's ancestral home church. Dr. Alphin attended N.C. State University, where he obtained a bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctorate degree in agricultural engineering. While at N.C. State, he also graduated with the Air Force ROTC.
As a long time resident of Florence, S.C., Dr. Alphin was member of Central United Methodist Church. He was a Methodist Youth Fellowship leader and a Boy Scout assistant leader.
Dr. Alphin's career took him to Clemson University's Pee Dee Research and Education Center at Florence, S.C., where he was a professor of agricultural and biological engineering. Retiring after 32 years of service, he was named professor emeritus.
While at Clemson, Dr. Alphin invented and patented the once-over low profile tobacco harvester and he held many other patents. He did extensive research in the tobacco fields of farmers in the eastern South Carolina area. He had received numerous awards and recognitions for his efforts. In 1975, Dr. Alphin was awarded the Engineering Concept of the Year Award with the American Society of Agricultural Engineers for 1982-83, claiming in 1984 its Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Agricultural Engineering Profession. During his research, he consulted with Phillip Morris and Ron Planck tobacco industries. After retiring, Dr. Alphin continued his research and consulting work with Powell Manufacturing.
Another involvement of John Gilbert's was the Alphin-Cheek Mfg Co., of Mount Olive, which manufactured tobacco harvesters that his father had invented. Ultimately, he succeeded his father as company president. Other business enterprises include farming and rental operations in Duplin, Wayne, and New Hanover counties.
Dr. Alphin is survived by his wife, Marguerite Register Alphin, a native of Rose Hill; their children, Gilbert Edwin Alphin and his wife, Karen Rud Alphin, of Kure Beach, JoAnn Alphin Alexander and husband, Alan Clay Alexander, of Seneca, S.C., and Anita Alphin Bryan and husband, William Smith Bryan Jr., of Mt. Pleasant, S.C.; four beloved grandchildren, Callie Frances Alexander, Clayton Moore Alexander, John Houston Bryan, and Macaulay Grace Bryan; three sisters, Nancy Alphin Williamson and husband, Stephen M. Williamson, of Kenansville, Audrey Alphin Lindsay and husband, Donald Lindsay, of Waynesboro, Va., and Eva May Alphin Avent and husband, Kenneth Avent Sr., of Faison, and a brother, Vance Alphin and wife, Ann B. Alphin, of Mount Olive; a brother-in-law Lee Register and wife, Catherine, of Rose Hill; and a sister-in-law, Edith R. Brinkley, and husband, Charles of Teachey; a true friend, Willie Davis of Florence, S.C.; many nieces, nephews, and numerous cousins.
John Gilbert was preceded in death by an infant son, John Gilbert Alphin Jr.; his parents, Gilbert Estus Alphin Jr. and Eva Grady Alphin; and his parents-in-law, Edwin Lee Register and Mildred Brown Register.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate gifts honoring the memory of Dr. John Gilbert Alphin be made to the Arthritis Foundation, P.O. Box 96280, Washington, DC 20077; the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 5216, Glen Allen, VA 23058; the family's home church, Bethel United Methodist, c/o Charles Ivey, 2284 Summerlin's Crossroad Road, Mount Olive, NC 28365; or to the church or charity of your choosing.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on February 17, 2013 12:07 PM