Michael died peacefully, with his loving wife at his side, at age 79, on January 17, 2016, in Houston, Texas. He was born in Ireland, the eldest child and only son of Timothy Carroll and Kate Gleeson of County Tipperary. He moved to Providence, Rhode Island in 1960; married Carolyn Gahagan, of White Plains, NewYork, in 1964, and obtained a Ph.D. from Brown University in Applied Mathematics in 1965. He became an American citizen in 1970.
He was a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1965 to 1988, where he also served as an Associate Dean of Engineering for 2 years, and held the Shell Distinguished Chair from 1983 to 1988. He became Dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering at Rice University in 1988, served as Dean for 10 years, and then resumed teaching and research as the Burton J. & Ann M. McMurtry Professor of Engineering until his retirement in 2015. His best known work was in nonlinear elasticity and porous media.
He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an Honorary Member of the ASME. He was awarded both a D.Sc., for his published work, and an honorary L.L.D. by the National University of Ireland, Galway, his alma mater. Michael had two original plays produced: one at Rice, and one by the Stages West Repetory Company in Fort Worth. He composed crossword puzzles, wrote poetry and music. He enjoyed playing many sports, but was especially fond of golf. He joined his avocations to his teaching, with study of both acoustics and the mechanics of sports.
Michael is survived by his wife and two children: Timothy J. Carroll, and his wife, Nancy Feidelman, and their sons, Benjamin and Caleb Carroll; and Patricia Carroll, and her husband, G.Bradley Mitchell, and their daughter, Evelina Roisin Mitchell. He leaves five sisters in Ireland: Sadie Meehan, Eileen McGuire, Reena Fanning, Mary Nagle, and Margaret Harte, their husbands, and children.
A memorial service will be held at the Rice University Memorial Chapel, Houston, TX, on Monday, April 11, 2016, at 2 p.m., followed by a reception in Duncan Hall. Courtesy parking will be provided on the campus. A funeral mass will be held in Ireland in August. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Houston Area Parkinson Society, at 2700 So.West Freeway, #296, Houston, TX 77098; Phone: 713-626-7114
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