Walter Herndon Inge, Jr., a native of Mobile, Alabama, passed away on May 25, 2018 in Atlanta, GA. He was born on July 24, 1933, and graduated from Murphy High School in Mobile. He received his BS in biology in 1955 from the University of Alabama, and his MS in physiology in 1965 and PhD in physiology in 1972 from UC Berkeley, in California.
Walter Inge served from 1955 to 1976 as a career officer in the USAF. His military career included serving in the Strategic Air Command (SAC) at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH; teaching as an assistant professor of physiology at the US Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, 1965-1967; serving in Viet Nam in 1969; the position of Director of Engineering and Biotechnology for the European Office of Aerospace Research and Development (EOARD) in London, England from 1971-1975; and working as a research physiologist at Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH, 1975-1977. He retired from the Air Force in 1976 with the rank of Lt. Colonel.
After his retirement, Dr. Inge continued his lifelong dedication to science, research, and teaching at Boston University, Boston, MA; Emory University, Atlanta, GA, where he also did research for NASA, and St. George University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies. He has written and published as a science writer since 1988.
Walter Inge had an eclectic mix of interests. He belonged to local mycological and ski clubs and he loved to travel nationally and internationally. He enjoyed writing, playing chess and Scrabble; was a patron of Shakespeare productions, and acted and directed in community theater.
Walter Inge kept learning until his last days. He took a variety of classes at Campbell Folk School in North Carolina, and attended lectures at Hillsdale College in Michigan.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Jane Leigh Inge, his mother, Gratia Seaman Inge and his father, Walter Herndon Inge, Sr.
He is survived by: his daughters, Gratia Inge Chatfield (Tony) of Sarasota, FL and K. Leigh Inge Vaughan (Greg) of Atlanta, GA; grandson Gregory Paul Vaughan, Jr.; step-granddaughter Aubrey Elon Chatfield; his sister Maria Inge Ryne, of Macon, GA and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
There will be a graveside funeral service with military honors on June 9, 2018 at 9:00 am at Pine Crest Funeral Home and Cemetery, 1939 Dauphin Island Pkwy, Mobile, AL 36605.
A memorial service will also be held on Saturday, June 30,, 2018 at 2:00pm at St. Barnabas Anglican Church, 4795 North Peachtree Rd., Dunwoody, GA 30338.
