In Memoriam: William T. Springer, Associate Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering

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William T. Springer, Associate Professor Emeritus

The Department of Mechanical Engineering and the university community have lost a longtime member of the faculty. Dr. William T. Springer, associate professor emeritus of mechanical engineering, died in Little Rock on Monday, Nov. 27, 2017, as a result of cardiac arrest.

He was born on Dec. 10, 1945, in Dallas to Virgil Thomas and Nora Nell Sewell Springer. He graduated from Bryan Adams High School in 1963 and then attended the University of Texas at Arlington where he received his B.S.M.E., M.S.M.E., and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering. Springer married Barbara J. Bailey in Paris, Texas, on Aug. 26, 1979 and together they have three children. 

In 1981, Springer became a faculty member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arkansas and throughout his career won several teaching awards, advised hundreds of students, and served as the faculty adviser and co-organizer of the ASME Solar Splash, the International Intercollegiate Solar/Electric Boat Regatta for five years. Springer was recognized as the S.Y. Zamrick Pressure and Piping Medal recipient by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 2011, Outstanding Researcher of the Year in Mechanical Engineering in 1983 and 1989, Outstanding Service of the Year in Mechanical Engineering in 1999 and 2011. After 40 years of teaching, research and service, Springer retired in 2013 and was bestowed the title Emeritus Associate Professor by the department, the college, and the Board of Trustees.

Before coming to the U of A, Springer was a NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellow with the Dynamics Test Branch at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama from 1981-1988.

Bill worked on and developed multiple innovative research and design projects that have contributed to the discipline of mechanical engineering. His extensive list of significant accomplishments includes:

• Design of a tongue-initiated speech prosthesis for laryngectomy patients;
• Development of a portable holographic interferometry system for inspecting bolted and riveted connections in bridges (Mack-Blackwell National Rural Transportation Center);
• Structural improvement of firefighter's protective clothing (International Association of Firefighters through the Department of Homeland Security); and,
• Evaluation of the influence of structural faults on the dynamic characteristics of a box-beam structure using modal analysis (NASA/MSFC).

For exceptional contributions and accomplishments to the engineering profession, Springer was named an American Society of Mechanical Engineers Fellow in 2011 and inducted into the Arkansas Academy of Mechanical Engineering in 2017. 

In addition to his busy career life, Bill also donated his time to community service. He worked with schools to help develop computer capabilities to assist in science-related instruction and a web page to be part of the Fayetteville Public School website. He worked with a team of students and installed solar panels on the roof of the Fayetteville Public Library, coached the Fayetteville High School BEST Robotics team, was co-hub director of the Northwest Arkansas BEST robotics competition and, at the time of his passing, was advising an undergraduate creative project team at the university, and serving as president of the UA Retirement Association. 

He is survived by his wife, Barbara, children Macey Cossey and her husband, Jeremy, of Fort Smith, Katherine Stramel and her husband, Alex, of Overland Park, Kansas, and Billy Springer of Pittsburg, Kansas. He is also survived by his beloved grandchildren: Bailey Gayle, Adelia Grace, and Naomi Kate Cossey and Henry Cole and Ross Stuart Stramel. He leaves behind a large, loving family including Marilyn Brock, Beth Bailey Jones, Mary Ann Davis and her husband, Ron, Frank H. Bailey and his wife, Fern, and Claire Bailey. He also leaves behind 10 nieces and nephews: Julie, Rick, and Joe Del Barto, Hatton Humphrey, Matt Davis and Ellen Runno, Michael, Phil, and Patrick Bailey, and Keith Grayson in addition to their children.

A word service will be held at St. Joseph's Catholic Church at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, followed by a reception. The family will have a private interment at Fairview Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, Bill would like contributions to the AAME Scholarship Fund, Tau Beta Pi Scholarship Fund, Fayetteville Public Library, or the charity of your choice.