Columbia, S.C. Edward August Giess, (85), died December 10, 2014. A memorial service will be held in the main dining hall at the Wildewood Downs Retirement Community in Columbia, SC at 1:00pm on Saturday, December 20, 2014. He was born on September 12, 1929 to Edward Ernst Giess and Ruth Osterheld Giess. Dr. Giess grew up on Long Island, NY, going to high school during the height of World War II. As a boy he enjoyed ice skating and growing vegetables in his “Victory Garden.” In 1947, he went to study at Alfred University (SUNY), where he received his Bachelors (1951) and Masters (1952) Degrees, both in Ceramic Engineering. He began his distinguished career in research at the National Lead Company in 1952, and married Rosemary Fredrica Laws in 1953. Two years later, he returned to his studies, and was awarded the first PhD in Ceramic Engineering at Alfred University in 1958. Dr. Giess immediately joined IBM as a Research Staff Member at the T. J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown, NY, where he developed an international reputation in the field of materials research and crystal growth, particularly in electro-optic materials, and in the latter stage of his career to the preparation of high Tc superconductors. His work during his 34-year IBM career resulted in the publication of 167 papers in a variety of technical journals, in addition to nine patents and IBM Outstanding Contribution Awards in 1972, 1975, and 1992. Dr. Giess was a member of ten national and international technical societies, and served on the Executive Committee of the American Association of Crystal Growth from 1975-1994. He organized and chaired several Gordon Conferences on Crystal Growth, was a program committee member of the International Conference on Crystal Growth, and reviewer for the American Ceramics Society, Applied Physics Letters, and the Journal of Crystal Growth. He retired in 1992, and moved to North Carolina, where he continued consulting and publishing as Adjunct Professor of Electrical Engineering, UNC Charlotte. The couple moved to the Wildewood Downs Retirement Community in Columbia, SC in 2005. A devoted husband and father, Ed was a faithful and active member of churches throughout his adult life, and served on the Vestry of several where he and Rosemary were members. He served on the Town Planning Board of Somers, New York for many years, and coached little league baseball. He was predeceased by his sister, Patricia Wilbur. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Rosemary, and their three sons: James Edward Giess and daughter-in-law Teresa Marie Giess; Ronald John Giess; and Benjamin Paul Giess, and his wife, Catherine Streeto Giess, MD. He leaves behind seven grandchildren: Emily Laws Giess, Adam James Giess, Madeleine Anne Giess, Nathaniel Quinn Giess, Samuel Edward Giess, Caleb James Giess, and Matthew Benjamin Giess. Memorials may be made to the Dr. Edward A. Giess Science Scholarship, Post Office Box 9671, Columbia, SC 29209. Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street, is handling the arrangements.
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