Kuttalam Ramaswami Thiagarajan was a beloved
Husband, Father (Appa), Grandfather (Thatha) and
a friend to all. In 1932, he was born in Thiruvarur,
Tamil Nadu, the first son of six children raised by a
high school teacher. In 1958, he married
Dhanalakshmi, who has been his loving wife since
that day. He came by ship via Cairo to the United
States in 1961 to complete his graduate studies in
economics at the University of Tennessee at
Knoxville. Moving to Jackson, Mississippi to work
for the Head Start program created by JFK,
Thiagarajan had the unique perspective as an Indian
immigrant to witness the turbulent civil rights
movement of the 1960’s.
After his son Ram was born, he moved the family to
Hempstead, Texas where he was a professor of
Economics and Finance at Prairie View A&M
University. His tenure lasted from 1967 through
2006, including a stint as Chair of the Department
for several years. During that time, he welcomed
another son Raju to the family. Eventually both sons
married, and Thiagarajan and Dhanam considered
their sons’ wives, Radha and Geetha, to be their own
daughters.
Even though Thiagarajan lived in Hempstead, he
spent countless hours volunteering his time for the
Indian community in Houston, almost 80 miles away.
Thiagarajan was one of the founders of Meenakshi
Temple Society and served as its first Chairman in
1982 and again in 1995. MTS continued to be near
and dear to his heart as he served on the Advisory
Board well into his eighties. Similarly, in 1973 he
was one of the founding members of Bharathi Kalai
Manram, an organization dedicated to preserving
the cultural needs of the Tamil community in Greater
Houston, twice serving as its President.
However, for all of his professional and community
achievements, Thiagarajan’s greatest joy and lasting
legacy is the love he showered on his six
grandchildren - Krishna, Karthik, Kavi, Anand, Jothi
and Nayan.
A celebration of life for Thiagarajan will be held Wednesday, June 29, 2022 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Chapel of Eternal Peace at Forest Park, 2454 S Dairy Ashford, Houston, TX 77077 followed by a cremation service from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.chapelofeternalpeace.com for the Thiagarajan family.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to
Meenakshi Tempe Society
Bharathi Kalai Manram
American Diabetes Association
or a charity of your choice.
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