Samuel Williams Earle III

Samuel Williams Earle III, PE, CMC died on Friday, February 13, 2015 at the age of “nearly 91”, in the loving care of his family in Greensboro, North Carolina. Often described as a kind gentleman with a good heart, he also was an accomplished engineer, Boy Scouts leader, Hooker-of-Golf-Balls and Seeker-of-Foxes.

A memorial service and receiving of friends will take place from 1:00 until 4:00 pm on Saturday, March 21, 2015 at Foxlair, (Sam and Cy's Home), 5270 Bunch Rd., in Summerfield, NC. Contact directly with the family can be sent to [email protected] or RSVP at http://www.evite.com/event/01B1WHL6OMGPBUVR4EPEZBGQKAFOKE.

Samuel was born on April 22, 1924 in Evanston, Illinois to Samuel Edwin Earle and Elizabeth Josephine Chatterton Earle Green (both predeceased), and educated at North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka, Illinois. He was a veteran of the U. S. Army and U. S. Marine Corps, honorably discharged in 1945. He was an alumnus of University of Illinois and received both his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1946 and his Masters of Industrial Engineering in 1948 from Purdue University.

He began his career in the Stellite Division of Union Carbide in Kokomo, Indiana, where he not only created the Industrial Engineering department there, but also met the love of his life, Colleen (“Cy”) Williams, marrying her in 1949. He was a pioneer in time-motion cost analysis, and as the Director of Industrial Engineering for Union Carbide worldwide he managed building their headquarters on 270 Park Avenue in Manhattan and decentralized the Industrial Engineering function spanning 15 divisions, 40 locations and 450 people.

He moved his family from Greenwich, Connecticut to Greensboro in 1966 to become the Director of Corporate Industrial Engineering at Cone Mills Corporation in Greensboro. In that post he continued his professional focus on establishing and maintaining methods, systems and procedures to reduce manufacturing costs as well as to fully utilize equipment, materials and manpower in controlling process quality and waste.

He received his Professional Engineer certification in 1969 and in 1970 he was elected a Fellow in the American Institute of Industrial Engineers, a signal honor in his field. He earned his Certified Management Consultant designation while he founded several enterprises: Concepts & Systems, Inc., a management consulting firm; Triad Office Plaza, Inc., office space and secretarial services for entrepreneurs and other small businesses; Post & Beam, a general contracting firm for building contemporary houses; and Earle Waterproofing, a specialty contractor to the homebuilding and general construction market. Concurrently, he also was an adjunct professor of Industrial Engineering and statistical quality control at NC A&T State University and Indiana University (Kokomo). His consulting clients spanned the USA including assignments requiring Top Secret and Q security clearances. Not surprisingly, his experience, insight, and mentorship were highly valued by his clients and co-workers.

He was very active in civic organizations and clubs. He was a member of Greenwich Country Club, Greensboro Country Club, Carlson Farms Country Club, SCIO (Senior Couples Interclub Organization), Elks, The Sedgefield Hunt, Jaycees, and Boy Scouts. He was particularly interested in the Boy Scouts of America where he began his service in Greenwich, Connecticut as Assistant Packmaster, and subsequently Scoutmaster to Troop 7, being awarded the Greenwich Scouter’s Award in 1966. In Greensboro he served as a Scoutmaster of several troops, and also as Commissioner of the General Greene Council where he was awarded the Silver Beaver in 1972.

He cared about his family, friends, business acquaintances and the lives of others. Perhaps the most dramatic example was when he saved three persons from a raging fire. While living in Greenwich, Connecticut, in the deep of night he was awakened by screams and an odd smell of something burning. Abruptly he realized that the back-door neighbor’s house was engulfed in flames. Grabbing a ladder he climbed to the second floor of the house, climbed through a window and carried out two sleeping children. He then returned to retrieve their screaming nanny, to the praise of onlookers and the eternal gratitude of the children’s parents who were vacationing overseas.

As a member of the Sedgefield Hunt who received colours in 1984, he loved saddling up and spent many wonderful hours with his wife and friends on horseback. He was a foxy and friendly competitor in golf, tennis, squash and ice hockey (nicknamed ‘Swish’ for the sound the net made when he scored) while growing up in Winnetka and Castle Park, Michigan. His game improved with competition, often winning tournaments, of which he was justifiably proud. He was also a private pilot, an avid model railroader and stamp collector.

Sam is survived by his wife of 66 years, Colleen Williams Earle of Summerfield, NC; his sons, Samuel Williams Earle IV (wife Catherine Perillo Earle) of Austin, TX and Kenneth Bradford Earle (wife Elizabeth Collins Earle) of Greensboro, NC.; his grandchildren Shannon Elizabeth Earle (Austin), Geoffrey Samuel Earle (Austin), Robert Philip Earle (Philadelphia), Gabriel Joseph Earle (Durham), Alexander Bradford Earle (wife Emily Leigh Smith Earle) of Cary, Lindsay Collins Earle (Columbus, OH); his great grandchildren Willow Catherine Earle-Perkins (Austin) and Connor Evans Earle (Cary), and nephews Dr. Edward Lawson (Baltimore) and Richard Barrett Lawson (Venice, FL).

He was predeceased by his daughter, Julianne Earle, (1971), his sister, Elsie Chatterton Earle Lawson, and her husband Dr. Robert Barret Lawson of Winston-Salem, NC.