Virgil Lee Tweedie

Virgil Tweedie February 18, 1918 – December 17, 2006 Dr. Virgil L. Tweedie, retired professor of chemistry at Baylor University, passed away December 17, 2006, in Waco, TX. He was 88. A visitation will be held at Thurman Funeral Home in Norborne, Missouri, 108 S. Pine St., from 7:00 – 8:00 PM on Thursday, December 21. Funeral services will be held at Thurman Funeral Home on Friday, December 22, at 10:00 AM. Burial will follow at Fairhaven Cemetery, in Norborne, MO. A memorial service will be held Saturday afternoon, February 17, 2007, at Baylor University, Waco, TX. The time and location will be announced. Virgil Tweedie was born February 18, 1918, in Norborne, Missouri, the son of Russell and Lura Tweedie. He grew up on a farm in Stet, Missouri, was graduated from Stet High School in 1936, and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Chemistry from the University of Missouri at Columbia. He was granted his PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin in 1951. He began teaching Chemistry at Baylor University in 1946 and retired in 1988. Dr. Tweedie taught approximately 10, 000 students and supervised several doctoral graduates throughout his 40 year career. He was faculty sponsor of the Beta chapter of Alpha Epsilon Delta at Baylor. In 1972 he was elected National President of AED, a post he held for 8 years, and also served as National Councilor for 22 years. During his career he helped to install 35 new AED chapters. Dr. Tweedie also chaired Baylor’s Premedical/Predental Advisory Committee for 24 years. He was a 60-year member of the American Chemical Society and was a founding member of the Texas Association of Advisers for the Health Professions. In 1943, Virgil married his childhood friend and sweetheart, Helen Hultz. The marriage lasted 55 years, ending when Helen preceded him in death in 1998. Survivors include daughters, Cheryl Pearce of Sugarland, TX and Martha North of Waco, TX; son, Ken Tweedie of Phoenix, AZ; sisters, Rachel Miller of Norborne, Missouri, Lois Forsythe of Carrollton, Missouri, and Betty Poyner of Prescott, Arizona; granddaughters, Kimberly Pearce, Kelli Pearce, and Lindsey North; grandsons, Bryan Tweedie, Matt Tweedie, and Aaron Tweedie; and great-grandson, Degan Tweedie. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorials to “The Virgil L. Tweedie Family Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry” at Baylor University, One Bear Place #97026, Waco, TX 76798, or to Providence Hospice, 4830 Lakewood Dr., Suite 2, Waco, TX 76710. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our “Memoiral Guestbook” at www.wilkirsonhatchbailey.com. Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey