Michael F. MacCarthy

Michael was born on June 22, 1975, the second of six children, to Dr. Patrick and Helen MacCarthy, who had emigrated from Ireland. He was a younger brother to Patrick, and became a big brother to sisters Catherine, Mary, Cara, and Erin. As a kid growing up in Colorado, he was mischievous, with a cheeky grin and a constant gleam in his eye. As he grew into a teen, we began to see the calm, humble demeanor that would come to define him as an adult. A towering 6-foot-6, he was a gentle giant, a quiet presence to whom people were drawn for support, inspiration, and always a good laugh.

A talented student with a special gift for math, Michael graduated from the Colorado School of Mines – the start of what turned into a brilliant career in engineering and education. Below is one of the many tributes published by his colleagues, detailing his devotion to development in emerging economies.

Michael packed a lifetime’s worth of work and adventures into what turned out to be a tragically short time here with us on Earth. His work was not a career, but rather a vocation – driven by his deep feeling of responsibility towards the global underserved. We are incredibly proud of the work that he has done as a professor at Mercer University over the last eight years, and we find solace in the fact that Michael’s work will be carried on. We are also grateful that Michael spent his final years in a university community that respected and appreciated him.

Michael was lucky to spend the last eleven years of his life with his long-term partner, Keri Naccarato. Together, they created a lovely home in Georgia where they were both very involved in the Mercer University and Macon community. Michael’s love for Keri led to his commitment to Ataxia research and improving accessibility. Among Keri’s most cherished memories are their two trips to Italy, and their many visits with her family in Pueblo and Salida. They were both looking forward to an upcoming trip to Ireland.

As six siblings in an immigrant home, we have always been exceptionally close. It was a lively home full of the usual childhood fighting and disagreements, but there was never any doubt about our deep love and support for one another. Right now, in the depths of our grief, we simply cannot fathom going on without Michael here as a stable anchor in a brutal world. We feel lost without him.

We do take comfort in seeing Michael in one another. And we feel so fortunate that our children (Patrick and his wife Skye’s son James and daughter Emma, and Mary’s daughter Moira) got to spend many years visiting, texting, joking, and laughing with their beloved Uncle Mike. He loved his nephew and nieces dearly and we know that he will continue to look after them from afar.

As messages about Michael pour in from around the world, in multiple languages, we take comfort in how many lives he touched. We also take solace in the fact that he died with the same generosity with which he lived: he was an organ donor, giving life to individuals in need to the very end.

We love you Michael, and we will honor you every day by working to make the world a more peaceful place. We look forward to seeing you again, and expect you to be ready to welcome us on the other side with a cup of tea.

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In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of these organizations which were very close to Michael’s heart:

https://web419985.campusnet.net/OnLineGiving_376/site/donate.aspx?siteid=e7df30da-2d67-44c1-8b9a-1de140fac2a3&LinkID=a945b229-cd75-42ce-b58f-d90b1f4d5da6

Mercer on Mission Please select as ‘Fund for Gift’: Mercer on Mission. Then, under ‘Remark,’ please type Groundwater Center. Finally, you may choose to note that you are giving in memory of Michael.

https://www.ataxia.org/donate/

National Ataxia Foundation Funds go towards research and resources for individuals with Ataxia, a rare progressive neurological condition that affects a person’s ability to walk, talk, and use fine motor skills.

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Thank you to the Association of Environmental Engineering Scientists and Professors (AEESP) for the following comprehensive look at Michael’s work: http://www.aeesp.org/news/memoriam-dr-michael-maccarthy?fbclid=IwAR13W6rKV0KA8ZBBafS4qjCJ8T5ZKrl2YoMmEGKNG-SuqIfsMMz4B_Dccjs

It is with great sadness we report the sudden passing of Dr. Michael MacCarthy. Mike was an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental & Civil Engineering at Mercer University (Macon, GA) and also a Special Graduate Faculty at the University of Guelph (Canada). He was the epitome of a new breed of engineering educator; devoted to education and applied research that served his students and profession, but most importantly, residents of underserved communities. He thought of serving others every day of his life, and instilled that value with the many students he taught, mentored, and inspired over his too-short academic career.

At Mercer, Mike was the Peace Corps Prep Advisor and also served as Program Director for Mercer’s Engineering for Development Program. That program is focused on innovating sustainable solutions for people and the planet, both internationally and domestically, through education, service, and applied research. Mike was also Director of the recently created Cecil Day Family Center for International Groundwater Innovation. That new center (led by Mike) was formed to accelerate efforts in the Mercer on Mission program and the School of Engineering to provide access to safe water to the world’s most water-poor communities. Initially the Center was focused on providing safe water in the Dominican Republic, Madagascar, and Uganda.

Mike had accomplished so much in his professional career. His research and service interests spanned low cost groundwater development, self supply, environmental sanitation, energy poverty, and social change. When traveling with him, he could converse with a taxi driver or a resident in either French or Spanish. He was an Associate Editor & Member of the Editorial Board for the Hydrogeology Journal (International Association of Hydrogeologists). In 2019 he received the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Southeastern Section’s Outstanding New Faculty Research Award. At the time of this award, Dr. Laura Lackey, Dean of Mercer’s School of Engineering commented that “Dr. MacCarthy’s passion for development-related research has piqued the interest of many of our students. He spends numerous hours teaching students research methods, data collection, analysis and communication skills. The success of his students verifies his unique ability to enthuse and engage young people in meaningful research experiences.”

Mike obtained his BSc in Engineering (Civil specialty, Environmental Science & Engineering minor) from Colorado School of Mines. He then served as an environmental and water resources engineer in Cameroon with the U.S. Peace Corps. After that he worked a short while as an engineering consultant in the U.S.; however, he quickly returned to his professional calling as a humanitarian/development engineer. Mike went on to obtain his MSc in Engineering for Development from the University of Southampton (England) where his research was on development of the rope pump in Maputaland, South Africa. He then served in various Sub-Saharan African countries, working as an engineer for GOAL Ireland in the Democratic Republic of Congo and with Oxfam in Mali. He followed that with receiving a PhD in Civil Engineering (Water Resources specialty) from the University of South Florida along with a Graduate Certificate in Social Marketing and Public Health. For his PhD, he researched issues of self supply and groundwater that were integrated with social marketing and had field components of his research in Madagascar and Bolivia. While a PhD student he taught and mentored a large number of students who went on to careers in the humanitarian/development sectors.

Michael had been a professor at Mercer University since 2014. He touched so many students during his time there, in the classroom, and in the field working with disadvantaged communities in Georgia, the Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan Africa. The professional relationship he developed with the G360 Institute for Groundwater Research at the University of Guelph allowed his students to further explore fractured-rock and applied groundwater research and the applications in the humanitarian/development sector. His students, colleagues, friends, and family, and especially the world, will miss him greatly.