James "Jim" Gibson Traynham

James Gibson “Jim” Traynham, a long-time faculty member at LSU, died on Sunday, March 17, 2024 at age 98. Jim was the middle child of three born to Eddie Louise (Greer) and James G. Traynham, Sr. in Broxton, GA, a town of fewer than 1000 population. He is survived by his wife, LSU Alumni Professor Emerita Gresdna A. Doty, with who he shared a marriage happily filled with love, friends, theatre, and travel for 42 years. He is also survived by two sons by a previous marriage (to Margaret A. Egert) and their wives, five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren: David and Marilyn (Arlington, VA), Sidney, Lydia (and her husband Trent Anderson and their children, Caleb, Katelyn, and Griffin), and Sally; Peter and Katherine (McLean, VA), and their daughters, Rebecca (and husband Jon Taurisano and their daughters, Bridget and Caroline) and Lindsay Greer (and husband Trey Johnson and their son, Elliott). Other survivors include his sister Margaret Bullington (Broxton, GA, and her husband, Elick) and their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; and cherished friends.

His education included public school in Broxton, GA; a year at South Georgia College in Douglas; graduation from the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, B.S. in Chemistry, 1946) and Northwestern University (Evanston, IL, Ph.D., 1950); and post-doctoral research at Ohio State University, ETH in Zurich, Switzerland, and University of Saarland in Saarbrucken, Germany.

After three years as a faculty member at Denison University in Granville, OH, Jim came to LSU in 1953. He retired from LSU in 1988 after a career of 35 years, primarily in the Department of Chemistry with assignments for teaching undergraduate and graduate courses and conducting and supervising research in organic chemistry. For 13 years he was also an administrative officer at departmental and university levels, but during that time he continued to fulfill professorial duties of teaching and research publications every year. In 2007, he was inducted into the LSU College of Sciences Hall of Distinction.

Throughout his career and most of retirement, Jim was an active participant in the American Chemical Society (ACS). He was an officer in the Local Section of ACS and a member of several ACS national committees. He was designated a Fellow of the ACS in its first class of Fellows in 2009. He was author or co-author of approximately 100 publications on research in organic chemistry, chemical education, chemical nomenclature, and history of chemistry.

Jim enjoyed being with his family; reading good writing, both books and newspapers; tasty food and wines; conversations with wife and friends; and cartoons, the comics, Smiley's column, and other sources of good humor. As he aged, he received care from a widening circle of physicians, many of whom said on first visit, "I had you for organic chemistry;" Jim's reply was, "Just lucky, I guess." For all of his life in Baton Rouge, he was an active member of University United Methodist Church. After retirement from LSU, he was for over 25 years a volunteer at Hope Ministries in north Baton Rouge.

A memorial service is scheduled at University United Methodist Church, on Dalrymple Drive, on Thursday, March 21, 2024 with a visitation from 10:00 AM until the memorial service at 11:00 AM. Family and friends who wish to comment are invited to do so at that service. In lieu of flowers please enjoy a glass of good wine (or your preferred alternative) while remembering Jim.