Obituary of George E. Lyne

Dr. George Edward Lyne, Jr., Professor Emeritus, age 83, of Fox Cove Road, Boone, the Foscoe community, died Tuesday afternoon, May 25, 2010 at home. He was born on October 31, 1926 in Greenville, SC to George Edward and Minna Turpin Lyne. Dr. Lyne is survived by his wife of 51 years, Eleanor 'Ellie' Kiplinger Lyne; his daughter, Kathryn Lyne Masters and husband, Michael, of Decatur, GA. and his son, Jeffrey Mathews Lyne and wife, Sharon Benton, three granddaughters, Kinsey, Natalie and Olivia Lyne, all of Mooresville; and one niece, Elizabeth Marlowe and husband, Scott, of Georgetown, SC. He is preceded in death by his parents and one brother, William Roper Lyne. After graduating from Greenville High School, George served in the US Navy during WWII and was selected for the V-12 Officer Training Program. He was in the Naval R.O.T.C. program at the University of NC Chapel Hill where he completed his B.S. degree in Industrial Management and was promoted to Lt.j.g. in the Naval Reserve. George spent seven years as an industrial engineer in the textile industry with Deering Milliken Corp. and J. P. Stevens before devoting a year to educational travel in Europe and the Middle East. When he returned in 1955, he joined Booz, Allen and Hamilton in New York as a management consultant. In 1961 he moved his family to North Carolina where he joined North Carolina National Bank (now Bank of America) in Charlotte. He obtained his PhD from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1973, after which he joined the management department of Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University. He taught graduate and undergraduate courses in organizational behavior, organization theory, strategic management and other subjects. During his career he was selected as an 'Outstanding Educator of America'. He was named director of the Center for Management Development which offers training for personnel in business organizations. He was instrumental in developing training for members of the NC Savings and Loan League, equipment rental managers, public accountants, and others. He also coordinated implementation of an MBA degree program at Winston-Salem State University. George held a number of administrative positions during his twenty-three years at ASU, including acting chairman of the management department for three years and permanent chairman from 1992 until his retirement in 1996. Always active in student affairs, he led the process to re-establish a chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma, the national honor society in business and served as president of the chapter. He chaired the University Admissions Committee and was alumnus advisor for the Kappa Alpha fraternity. George has served as a Senior Warden and a member of the choir at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Boone, NC. Through out his life George had a variety of hobbies and interests. He enjoyed sailing on Lake Norman, spending time with his extended family at Edisto Beach, landscaping their 20 acres in Foscoe, reading western philosophy and history, woodworking, building construction, and exploring his South Carolina family's genealogy which extended back to Charlestown Landing and the Mayflower. A Memorial service will be held Saturday afternoon, June 5th at 3 o'clock at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Boone, officiated by the Reverend Cynthia Banks. A reception will follow the service in the Great Hall at St. Luke's. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the ASU Walker College of Business Current Scholarship Fund or the Watauga County Hunger and Health Coalition, Post Office Box 1837, Boone, NC 28607. Online condolences may be sent to the family at austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com. Austin & Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Lyne family.