James Sylvester Moulthrop

James (“Jim”) Sylvester Moulthrop of Austin, Texas passed away peacefully on August 15, 2025,surrounded by the love of his family. Born February 24,1939, in DuBois, Pennsylvania, Jim lead a life defined by leadership and a deep devotion to his God, country and family. He attended St. Catherine’s School through all twelve grades, was an altar boy, and played varsity basketball. As a youth and teenager, he participated in baseball, including Little League, and was a delegate to Pennsylvania Boys State.

Following high school, he matriculated at St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Indiana and graduated in 1960 with a BA degree in Geology. He then attended Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas and received a Master’s degree in Geology. From there he went into the US Army and then to the altar, where he married Marty Mulloy of Wichita, Kansas. From that day to this they were a devoted couple for 62 years. Besides Marty, he leaves his son, Jamie (Kathy), and daughters Meg O’Reilly (Sam) and Molly, all of whom grieve his passing.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, John and Pauline Moulthrop, his sister, Barbara Shepard, and sister-in-law Ronnie Moulthrop. He is survived by his brothers, John Moulthrop, David Moulthrop (Dixie) and his sister Christine Pierce (Don), sisters-in-law Molly Mulloy and Maggi Jones (Leon), and brother-in-law John Mulloy (Sandi). Especially cherished are his East Coast grandchildren, Evan and Grace Moulthrop, and his California granddaughter, Quinn O’Reilly, all of whom are smart and good-looking. He will also be missed by brothers-in-law Bruce Gilkeson (Cecilia) and Jim Gilkeson (Diane Tagtmeier), as well as numerous nieces and nephews from Mexico to Albuquerque to New York to Paris.

A recognized international leader in pavement preservation and asphalt technology, Jim began his career in 1963 with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, where he worked for 20 years on various assignments, including Chief of the Materials and Testing Division and Director of Highway Maintenance. He subsequently spent 5 years in product development, technical marketing and the application of asphalt modifiers with Lubrizol Corporation and Exxon Chemical Americas, before joining the research staff of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas as Program Manager for the SHRP Asphalt Research Program. At the completion of the SHRP contract he joined Koch Materials Company, instituting and promoting the introduction and use of new pavement systems in 8 southern states. In 2009 Jim was named Executive Director of FP2, a not-for-profit trade association representing the pavement preservation industry. He was also a part-time Senior Consultant for Fugro Roadware and served as Principal Investigator and Project Manager for a number of pavement related research projects. He finally retired on his birthday in 2022. Jim served on many professional committees and boards, including Transportation Research Board, ASTM, Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists (past president), the Canadian Technical Asphalt Association, and the National Center for Pavement Preservation at Michigan State University (past chair). He has participated as Principal Investigator or Project Manager in a number of pavement-related projects funded by the SHRP2 program, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Montana Department of Transportation and Guangdong Province, China. He was a team member of the US-led Pavement Preservation Scanning Tour of France, South Africa and Australia in 2001. Jim was the recipient of numerous awards during his career, topped off by a tribute in the US House of Representatives on his retirement in 2022. He was popular at cocktail parties as friends would badger him with questions about the potholes on their streets.

Jim was a creative and enthusiastic cook and grillmaster and his Beef Wellington and butterflied leg of lamb were legendary. Unlike most male cooks, he cleaned up as he cooked! After the family moved to Texas, he (we) discovered Texas barbecue and had fun discovering all the wonderful places to have brisket and pulled pork. A particular favorite was Louie Mueller’s in Taylor, a true Texas institution.

Jim will be remembered for his kindness, integrity, and love of God, family and country, He felt privileged to have had an idyllic childhood in the 1950s. His mother had 12 siblings, so DuBois was full of his cousins. The kids had the freedom to roam and play, and life was slower and less complicated. Jim was a fan of Sinatra, as well as American jazz greats like Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson and Mel Torme. One of his favorite activities was his membership in the Carlindians, a barbershop chorus in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he enjoyed singing with friends. Their annual show one year was a mock beauty pageant, with Jim in a (large) dress and hunting boots, sporting a sash naming him “Misspelled”---much to the embarrassment of his children! Over the years Jim and Marty were lucky enough to travel far and wide before his illness struck. The family enjoyed annual vacations in Bethany Beach, Delaware, for more than 50 summers, together with numerous Moulthrop siblings and cousins. Rest in peace, Jim…..you will be remembered forever.

The family wishes to thank the wonderful doctors and nurses at St. David’s Medical Center South, Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. Thanks, too, to Hospice Austin for helping us make a smooth transition from hospital to home.

Jim’s funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Theresa Catholic Church, 4211 Small Drive, Austin TX 78731. If you wish, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jim’s memory to Hospice Austin (hospiceaustin.org) or Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org) or KLRU (austinpbs.org).