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On Saturday, Dec. 30 2023, Stephen Leon Lipscomb, PhD, passed away at the age of 79 due to complications of Alzheimer.
He was born Jan. 31, 1944, to David and Dema (Alkire) Lipscomb in Junior, West Virginia. He graduated from Belington High School and married his high school sweetheart, Patty (Skidmore) Lipscomb, from Junior. He went on to complete his undergraduate degree at Fairmont State College where he excelled in football and as an adult obtained an Outstanding Alumni Award. He completed a Master of Mathematics degree at West Virginia University and a Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics from the University of Virginia.
Amassing nearly 40 years of professional experience, Dr. Lipscomb is a celebrated mathematician whose achievements are renowned in the academic community. Retired since 2003, he previously served as the chair of the department of mathematics at the University of Mary Washington from 1984 to 2003, chair of the department of mathematics, science and physics at the University of Mary Washington from 1984 to 1986, and an eminent scholar in mathematics at the University of Mary Washington from 1983 to 2003. Prior to these positions, he was a senior mathematician at the Naval Surface Weapons Center from 1967 to 1983 as well as a high school teacher and coach from 1965 to 1966.
Alongside these appointments, Dr. Lipscomb held the role of adjunct professor of mathematics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University from 1976 to 1992 and a senior fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education for numerous years between 1994 and 2003. A contributor of myriad articles to professional journals, he has also translated several books related to the American Mathematical Society and a number of United States Navy reports. He has published several mathematical books to include "Fractals and Universal Spaces in Dimension Theory", "Incipit, Art Meets Mathematics in the Fourth Dimension" and "A Life of Mathematics."
Among his achievements, Dr. Lipscomb is most renowned for the invention of Lipscomb's Topological Space and for pioneering several mathematical concepts including the first thrust integral programs for the Navy. In addition, he chaired the tiger team in the Tomahawk Missile System prior to the operational evaluation in 1983. He has several patents for web structures and methods and thirty years of Dr. Lipscomb's research in topological dimension theory led to the discovery of a novel geometry, the 4web, that is used to create high-strength, lightweight web structures, such as medical spinal cages.
Dr. Lipscomb was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Donald Alkire of Clarion, Ohio.
Dr. Lipscomb is survived by his wife Patty; two sons, Stephen Lipscomb II (Debra) and Darrin Lipscomb (Debbie); four grandchildren, Stephanie Lipscomb Wolfrey (Dan) and Sam and Will and George Stephen Lipscomb.
He is also survived by three great-grandchildren, Connor, Eveleigh and Delaney Wolfrey in addition to his sister, Barbara (Lipscomb) Hunt (Preston) of Texas.
The family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, at Covenant Funeral Service, 10830 Patriot Highway Fredericksburg, VA.
Friends will also be received at the Talbott Funeral Home, 56 N. Brandenburg Street Belington, West Virginia, on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, from 10 to 11 a.m., the funeral hour, when services will be conducted from the funeral home chapel with Rev. Jim Curtis officiating.
Interment will follow in the Mt. View K of P Cemetery near Junior, West Virginia.
In lieu of flowers, the family ask that memorial contributions be made to the Asbury United Methodist Church 134 S. Beverly Pike Belington, WV. 26250.
Condolences can be made to the family at www.talbottfuneralhome.com.