Dr. Olin B. Cecil's Obituary
Olin B. Cecil, born in 1927, passed away on September 21, 2015 at the age of 88. Born to Oscar Benedict Cecil, Sr. and Mary Banks Cecil in Wichita Falls, Texas. Olin was preceded in death by his wife, Elizabeth Earl Roddy Cecil in May, and his son, Stephen Leigh Cecil in 2008. He is survived by his daughters, Phyllis (Gary) Grant and Mary Beth (Todd) Coady; and his grandchildren, Sarah Elizabeth Grant, Ryan Thomas Coady and Megan Elizabeth Coady. He will be buried at Restland Memorial Park in Dallas, Texas. Visitation is Friday evening, September 25, 2015 from 6-8pm at Restland Funeral Home. The service will be held Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 3pm at Restland Abbey Chapel. Olin attended Rice University, beginning his freshman year the week before his sixteenth birthday. He enlisted in the United States Navy when he was seventeen, and was soon teaching radar to naval pilots – and at least one admiral. After the war he returned to Rice University, where he met Elizabeth Earl Roddy. After their first date he decided that she was going to be his wife. It took him a long while to convince her of this, but the two redheads married soon after graduation in 1948. Olin went on to earn his Master’s degree at Rice, and a PhD at the University of Texas at Austin. After receiving his doctorate he worked as a research chemist at Monsanto in St. Louis. He joined Texas Instruments in January 1960, moving his young family to Dallas, Texas. Texas Instruments was the birthplace of the integrated circuit in 1958, and he was part of the team that developed the processes to mass produce transistors that would change our world, earning patents and publications along the way. He began at “the candy factory” on Lemmon Avenue, which old TI’ers will recognize as the original research labs. He moved to the main headquarters site when the central research labs opened there, and years later transferred to the silicon materials department in Sherman, Texas. Education was always important to Olin. While at Monsanto he taught chemistry in the evenings at Washington University. After retiring from Texas Instruments, his wife hired him to tutor physics, chemistry and advanced mathematics at The Learning Place, her tutoring clinic in Far North Dallas. In Dallas, Olin and Elizabeth Earl were members of Highland Park United Methodist Church, where they were part of the 2×2 Sunday school class for many years. In 2010, they moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, to be closer to family; he was a resident of WhiteStone, a Masonic and Eastern Star community. He will be remembered for his keen mind, intense focus and dry wit. He was a great problem solver. Young engineers, and his children, knew that it was useless to try and redirect his attention or get him off track when he was looking at an issue. He was a Son of The Republic of Texas and traced his lineage back to Stephen F. Austin’s Old 300. He created beautiful stained glass pieces, enjoyed bridge and square dancing, watched the Dallas Cowboys and loved the Texas Rangers. He played Texas 42, and it was a very rare occasion when someone could set him. The family would like to thank WhiteStone, Anne and Debbie of Hospice and Palliative Care, and Jane Jusu for their care of our dear Olin. If you would like to donate in his memory please consider Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro (www.hospicegso.org) or a charity close to your heart.
What’s your fondest memory of ?
What’s a lesson you learned from ?
Share a story where 's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with you’ll never forget.
How did make you smile?