Harold ‘Bud’ William Askins, Jr., 79, of Charleston, SC passed away on September 25, 2018. He was born in Chesnee, SC on September 3, 1939 to Mr. Harold William and Pansy Aster McCauley Askins.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Mrs. Gloria Anderson Askins, his sister and brother-in-law Hannah and Curtis Lancaster, his daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Henry Diedrich Schweers III, and son and daughter-in-law, Harold William Askins III and Kathleen, and four grandchildren, Henry Diedrich Schweers IV, Gloria Morgan Schweers, Mary Isabelle Askins, and Harold William Askins IV.
Bud was a 1957 graduate of Chesnee High School and subsequently enrolled in the Electrical Engineering program at The Citadel with the Class of 1961. He was in Charlie Company and marched with the Corps of Cadets for the inauguration of John F. Kennedy. It was his Electrical Engineering degree which would win him favor from Mr. Richard Anderson, an electrician, whose daughter Bud saw for the first time when he was in the sixth grade while visiting his grandmother in Lake City, SC and then, later, was set up on a blind date with her during his knob year at The Citadel. Following graduation, Bud attended Clemson University and completed a Master of Electrical Engineering in 1963. It is during this time he applied his thinking skills and made the very wise decision to propose to Gloria whom he married in 1964. Always the romantic, their honeymoon was to the beautiful city of West Lafayette, IN where Bud was beginning his work towards a Doctorate in Electrical Engineering at Purdue University. His studies were interrupted due to the illness of his father, and which required his return to Chesnee to help care for his dad and assist in running the family business. Following the passing of his father and with the urging of his mother, Bud returned to Purdue and completed his Doctorate in 1972. His specialty was EMC theory. In conjunction with his studies, Bud and Gloria welcomed Mary and Harold into their family during their time as Boilermakers in Indiana. After graduation from Purdue, Bud received and accepted an offer from Westinghouse, and the family moved to Pittsburgh, PA. The Askins family had spent two years in Pittsburgh when Bud received an offer to teach Electrical Engineering at The Citadel, and with the opportunity to return to the Lowcountry, Bud enthusiastically and successfully embarked on a career as a professor in 1974. Initially the family lived on the Citadel campus, but ultimately moved to James Island where they remained for over 40 years.
As a career educator, Bud was passionate about learning and education. He routinely hosted Cadets in his home and participated in all the Department of Electrical Engineering activities. He was an active member of Tau Beta Pi, and he initiated the establishment of this engineering honor society at The Citadel. In conjunction with his work as an instructor, Bud also served with the Department of the Navy as a civilian where he assisted in designing and implementing communication systems for Navy ships. Ultimately, Bud was selected in 1991 to serve as the Department Head for the Electrical Engineering Department at The Citadel until his retirement in 2006. He retired from his civilian service position with the Navy after 27 years, but continued to teach classes as a Professor Emeritus at the Citadel until 2015.
During retirement, Bud could often be found spending time with Gloria at their beach condo at Litchfield by the Sea or relaxing on their back porch on James Island with their many close friends. He loved his Citadel Bulldogs, and enjoyed watching football, sipping a Macallan scotch, and talking about his grandkids. Bud was a strong Christian, loving husband, tremendous father and grandfather, and a dedicated educator who loved his students and the pursuit of knowledge. He will be sorely missed, but would likely encourage all of us to ‘Think.’
He fought a short, courageous battle with cancer, with strength, dignity, and faith, surrounded by his wife Gloria, children, and grandchildren. Bud was a member of the First Baptist Church of Charleston, SC. The family will receive friends on Friday, September 28th at J. HENRY STUHR, INC. DOWNTOWN CHAPEL, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. A memorial service will be held Saturday, September 29th in First Baptist Church Sanctuary, 48 Meeting Street, at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations may be made to the Harold W. Askins, Jr., ’61, Electrical Engineering Scholarship, The Citadel Foundation, 171 Moultrie Street, Charleston, SC 29409 or to First Baptist School, 48 Meeting Street, Charleston SC 29401.
J. Henry Stuhr Funeral Homes & Crematory
Posted in: Post and Courier
Posted on: 2018-09-27
Link to original obituary: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/charleston/obituary.aspx?n=harold-william-askins-bud&pid=190328946&fhid=6051