Dr. Edward Fulton Menhinick

Dr. Edward (Ed) Fulton Menhinick passed away on April 19, 2023 at the age of 87. Son of the late Howard Kenneth Menhinick and Dorothea Fulton Menhinick. Ed was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 18, 1935. He was the oldest of two boys and is survived by his brother Bob Menhinick.

Ed was happily married for 62 years and is survived by his loving wife Pozene (Pozy) Menhinick, who caused his face to light up every time he saw her! In addition to his wife, survivors include: his children: Mark and Eric Menhinick, and Kim Menhinick-Cochran; his grandchildren: Dr. Keith Menhinick, Wes and Dave Menhinick, Sage Ananda, Joleigh, Liam, and Lydia Cochran; as well as his daughter-in-law Tricia Menhinick and son-in-law Joey Cochran.

Ed graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Emory University. He then went on to earn a Master’s degree from Cornell University, and a PhD in Biology from the University of Georgia. Upon completion of his PhD, he worked at the Atomic Energy Commission’s Savannah’s River Plant, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and as a professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he taught for 42 years! Ed was interviewed and hired by UNCC Founder Bonnie Cone. Dr. Menhinick loved teaching and had a real concern for his students and a desire to see them succeed in life. He taught classes in Biology, Ecology, Entomology, Environmental Problems, Ichthyology, Limnology, Oceanography, Radioisotope Techniques, Vertebrate Taxonomy, and Zoology. His favorite classes always involved real life experiences such as field trips where his students collected insects or seined for fish. He always worked to make his classes interesting and enjoyable. His favorite topics were always nature and science, and he loved to share what he learned with his students, his community, his children, and his grandchildren.

In 2011, Dr. Menhinick won the prestigious Fred A. Harris Fisheries Conservation Award for his dedication to environmental issues. This award was given in recognition of his many years of Environmental Impact Studies, his service on committees of endangered species, and the publication of his book, “The Freshwater Fishes of North Carolina.” This book was the result of 25 years of research from sampling the fishes in fresh water streams and rivers in North Carolina. It has become the standard working tool for fishery biologists throughout the state. Even though Ed wrote a book on fishes, his specialty and passion was Entomology, insects. He had the largest private collection of insects in the state of North Carolina.

Ed loved learning even as a teenager and was proud to be an Eagle Scout. He continued this tradition with his sons, Mark and Eric, working with them in the Boy Scouts, both of whom also became Eagle Scouts. Likewise, Ed would come home early, countless days, from his job to work with his daughter, Kim, on her Science Fair projects. One such project on radiation and plant growth awarded her a trip to the International Science Fair, the same honor Ed had earned some three decades earlier! Ed was a dedicated, loving and supportive father and grandfather.

On a fun note, one of Ed’s family’s favorite memories of him was how much he loved Halloween. He would work for days helping his children make creative and spooky ways to scare neighborhood children on his favorite night of the year. He had ghosts with glow-in-the-dark masks hanging from the trees blowing in the wind and speakers with creepy sounds playing eerily in the background.

Perhaps the greatest impact Ed has left behind is with those who knew and loved him. He was a good man. He was kind, considerate, polite, giving, and cared deeply for others. He was always supportive of his family, and encouraged them to be the best versions of themselves. He was very intelligent and an extremely hard worker, who could do anything that he set his mind to doing. He enjoyed the simple things in life like walking to work with his green bucket, which he referred to as his “circular valise”, sitting outside on the porch swing with his dog Cocoa, feeding the birds, chasing away the squirrels, gardening, reading comic books and Goosebumps and watching Scooby-Doo. Ed was profusely loved, and will be greatly missed.

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, April 25th at University Hills Baptist Church at 1p.m. Visitation will be at the church from 11am-1pm. Burial will immediately follow at Sharon Memorial Park.

Contributions should be made to University Hills Baptist Church, 1500 Suther Rd., Charlotte, NC 28213 or to North Carolina Wildlife Federation, 1346 Saint Julien St. Charlotte, NC 28205.

Please, if you or your family members have inspirational or comical stories about Ed, the family would be ever-so grateful if you document them on Dignitymemorial.com for a book family members will later receive.