Robert Jared Porter, Ph.D.

Dr. Robert Porter, 91, passed away on November 12, 2022 in the lake house he loved, surrounded by family. Born December 1, 1930 in Lexington, Kentucky, he received his Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown College and his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Bob spent his career as a Professor of Finance in the College of Business at the University of South Carolina. He was a born teacher and loved the classroom setting, where he could see the spark of understanding in his student’s faces when they “got it.” He was an early adopter of computers and enjoyed introducing his students to computer technology and the value of remote learning when it was first developed. His trademark was an oversized bowtie, always present when he was teaching.

Throughout his life, Bob was very proactive in advocating for women’s rights and racial equality. During his leisure hours, he was very fond of tennis, woodworking, travel, word puzzles and gardening. He especially enjoyed the annual family beach vacation – a tradition that started with his father and continues through the generations. He was well known for his sense of humor and his big bear hugs.

For many years after retirement, he could often be found in his workshop at his home on Lake Murray, making practical and beautiful items for family and friends. He was a stickler for detail and knew where everything was located in his shop. Woe be unto the person who did not return an item to its assigned place!

Bob was very active in raising his four daughters, always helping with homework and encouraging them to go beyond the assignments, often late into the evening, to complete additional problems which he called “extra for experts.” It wasn’t all work, however, and he created and built an amazing playground for them which included a zip line, rope swings, swing sets, tetherball, balance beam and parallel bars. The family especially enjoyed warm summer evenings, when Bob would hide in the bushes and jump out as the Big Bad Wolf to the delight of his girls and the neighborhood. He wanted his children to work hard and play hard and they did.

Bob was predeceased by his parents, Ira Porter and Mary Thompson Porter, and a sister, Maribeth Hambrick. He was blessed to have found three wonderful women with whom to share his life and was predeceased by two of them, wife Ella Mae Porter, the mother of his children, and wife Doreen Cohoon Porter, whose children and grandchildren remain in his life. He is survived by his wife, Ina Porter and his daughters and their families: Mary Parsons, Melinda Butler, Elizabeth Zamparo (Roger) and Ellan Porter (Paul), as well as many grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.

The family would like to thank Compassionate Care Hospice for their assistance, as well as his friends and family who sent cards and prayers.

Bob Porter’s memorial service will be held at Virginia Wingard Memorial United Methodist Church in Columbia on December 4, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. with visitation afterward.

Memorials may be given in memory of Bob to the Ella Mae Porter Endowed Scholarship Fund via the online link (https://donate.sc.edu/RobertJPorter). A gift by mail should be payable to University Foundation with Ella Mae Porter Endowed Scholarship or 1B1500 in the memo line and sent to the following address: Office of Gift Processing, 1600 Hampton Street, Suite 738, Columbia, SC 29208. Gifts may also be made to Virginia Wingard Memorial United Methodist Church.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.caughmanlexington.com for the Porter family.