Griff L. Bilbro

Dr. Griff L. Bilbro, 68, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, November 10, 2016. Born on November 3, 1948 in New Orleans, Louisiana; he was the son of the late Griff and Frieda Luhrs Bilbro. Griff graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics in 1973, graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1975 with a Master’s in Physics and received his PhD from Illinois in 1977.

Griff was Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at North Carolina State University. He joined N. C. State in 1985, following several years in industry, and enjoyed a 31-year career with colleagues and students in the ECE department. His research interests were broad, beginning with his early work in phase transitions with Bill McMillan at Illinois, through his work in image processing with Wes Snyder at NCSU, and more recent work with Bob Trew in modeling transistors.

Griff was passionate about teaching and learning. He had a long record of outstanding teaching and was elected to the N.C. State Academy of Outstanding Teachers in 2001. He was named IEEE Undergraduate Teacher of the Year in 2006. He influenced many students and enjoyed following their careers.

Outside of work, Griff enjoyed thinking about and observing the world around him. He read history, philosophy, and science fiction. He enjoyed engaging others in thoughtful discourse. He loved trees, coffee, museums, and occasionally making messes in the name of science. Recently, more than anything, he enjoyed playing with his grandsons and exploring the world anew through their eyes.

He is lovingly remembered by his wife of 34 years (and girlfriend of 46 years), Carla Savage, also a Professor at NCSU; by his son, Lucas Savage Bilbro and his wife Jennifer Sacks, of Boston, Mass; by his daughter Rebecca Savage Bilbro and her husband Jeffery Bertolet, of Washington, DC; by his two grandchildren, Oscar Savage Bertolet and Griff Sacks Bilbro; by his brother, George Steven Bilbro and his partner Donna Calderon, of El Paso, TX; and by his nephew, Gregory Bilbro and niece Jazz Kiesling and her husband Gerry Kiesling.

A Celebration of Griff’s Life will be held on Monday evening, November 14th at Mitchell Funeral Home beginning at 6 pm. Family will receive friends following their sharing of remembrances.