FISH,
B
FISH,
B, irney Robert August 03, 1926 – March 21, 2007 CRAB ORCHARD - Birney Robert Fish, M.S., P.E., 80, of Johnson City, passed away March 21, 2007, following a lengthy illness. He was the son of the late Birney Huffman Fish and Eudora Grace Roberts Fish of Crab Orchard, KY. Mr. Fish was born in Crab Orchard, growing up with his sister, Martha Fish Holcomb Pierce, who preceded him in death. He is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Theatrice Dyehouse Fish of Johnson City, Tenn.; a daughter, Theresa Lura and her husband Richard of Johnson City, Tenn.; a son, Mark Fish and his wife Sheila of Dallas, Texas; and three grandchildren, Johanna Fish Spaulding and her husband Eric of Martinsville, Va., Joshua Fish and his wife Ashley of Knoxville, Tenn., and Shannon Fish of Dallas, Texas. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews in Kentucky. A veteran of World War II, he served as a Japanese translator, tank commander, MP, and following his time in the occupational forces, became a forwarding agent for the Osaka Bible Seminary. Following his discharge from the Army in 1947, Mr. Fish attended Centre College in Danville and completed his undergraduate education summa cum laude in 1951 in civil engineering at the University of Kentucky. After a fellowship in physics at Vanderbilt University, Mr. Fish worked for Union Carbide in Oak Ridge, and then took a position with Convair in Fort Worth, Texas, before returning to Tennessee as a health physicist at the Oak Ridge National Laboratories, (ORNL). He was director of the Whole Body Counter Division, which investigated the distribution of nuclear fallout in the human body, among other projects. He traveled the world representing ORNL and the Atomic Energy Commission during these years. He also completed a Master of Science Degree in Physics at the University of Tennessee in 1967, became licensed as a professional engineer, and later completed the coursework for a doctoral degree in physics. Some of his numerous scientific publications continue to be referenced today. With a special interest in particle physics and environmental carcinogenesis, Mr. Fish also taught graduate courses at the University of Tennessee on air pollution and ran a private stack-sampling program. He worked for a number of different companies and state governments. During these years, Mr. Fish also consulted for such diverse groups as NASA and the Senators of the United States Congress. In 1973, Mr. Fish accepted a position in Frankfort with the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection, and later moved to Lexington to work for Ephraim McDowell Cancer Research Center at the University of Kentucky. He moved to Saudi Arabia in 1983 to study environmental carcinogenesis at King Faisal Hospital in Riyadh. Returning to the U.S. in 1985, Mr. Fish worked for Quadrex in Oak Ridge on environmental projects, and retired from a position with TVA in Knoxville in 1991. In addition to his scientific pursuits, Mr. Fish was a talented musician, artist and poet. His home features his watercolors and a collection of musical instruments. His interests ranged from classical guitar to stride piano, and he occasionally filled in for the church organist. He was working on a book of poetry when he became ill. He has also written extensively on the history of Crab Orchard and on biblical exegesis. His hobbies ranged from lapidary to astronomy, and he loved to read and to travel. He could speak several different languages, and had studied the Greek and Hebrew texts of the Bible. In addition to his family, Mr. Fish’s faith was most precious to him. An elder in the Christian Church for nearly 60 years, he was also an ordained minister who often filled the pulpit, and he was a student of the Bible until his death. He and his family helped to establish West Towne Christian Church in Knoxville, Tenn., and the first minister of that church, C. Scott Richmond, will preside at Mr. Fish’s services. His service will be held in his beloved home church, Crab Orchard Christian. Services will be 3 p.m. Sunday, March 25, 2007, at Crab Orchard Christian Church. Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Saturday at McKnight-Martin Funeral Home and after 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the church.
Burial will take place at Crab Orchard Cemetery. ≈ Monday, February 27, 2006 – Advocate Messenger