Richard Speight Fountain

Richard Speight Fountain, 85, Piedmont Crossing, Thomasville, NC, formerly of Sanford, NC, died with his children at his side on March 14, 2011, at Hinkle Hospice House. A service of remembrance will be on April 16 at 11 a.m. at Piedmont Crossing, Thomasville. Mr. Fountain was born November 14, 1925 in Siler City, North Carolina to the late Annie Lishia Coburn Fountain and Richard Speight Fountain, Sr. He grew up in Weldon, NC, as the son of the Baptist preacher. His formative years spent in Weldon, then the bustling train junction of the Seaboard Air and the Atlantic Coast Lines, helped shape his lifetime passion for model train collecting. Mr. Fountain was a nationally known bridge engineer. He held degrees from the University of South Carolina in Naval Science and Georgia Institute of Technology in Civil Engineering. He served in the U.S. Marines as a 2nd Lieutenant during the waning days of World War II. Mr. Fountain’s career as a civil engineer spanned almost 50 years. His first job as senior bridge designer with the Georgia Department of Transportation led to co-authoring the book Composite Construction in Steel and Concrete for Bridges and Buildings. From 1956-1964, he worked at Portland Cement Association in Chicago, where he continued to publish technical works on bridge design. In 1964, he joined United States Steel Corporation in Pittsburgh as consultant engineer. While there, he planned and supervised publications related to steel specifications for highway structures, and conceived and supervised the development of U.S. Steel’s early computer design program “Simon” for steel bridges. His final employment before retiring to private consultancy was at the offices of Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas in Raleigh, NC. During his long career, Mr. Fountain served on and chaired numerous professional committees and organizations. He was the founder of the American Iron and Steel Institute’s Steel Bridge Task Force. In 2001, the AISI established an award in his honor. The Richard S. Fountain Award is presented annually to recognize leadership in steel bridge research. A skilled golfer, upon retirement Mr. Fountain was able to relax on the courses at his home in Carolina Trace in Sanford, where he also spent many hours refurbishing American Flyer model trains, antiquing and working crossword puzzles with his wife Nancy. Survivors include a brother, Grigg T. Fountain of Albuquerque, NM, sons Richard S. Fountain III (Nancy), and Jeffrey Fountain all of Pittsburgh, PA; daughters, Suzanne Fountain (Joe Ponsoll) of Pittsburgh; Lynn Raker (Steve) of Lexington, NC; and Kimberly Fountain of Houston, TX. Also surviving are grandchildren Samantha Fountain of Ft. Meyers, FL, David Fountain of Pittsburgh, Sara Ponsoll of Philadelphia, PA, Matthew Raker of Asheville, NC, and Grant Raker of Boone, NC; six great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; and six nieces and nephews. Mr. Fountain was preceded in death by his first wife, Joyce Kicklighter Fountain in 1961, and Nancy Kline Fountain in 2009, his wife of 45 years. He was also preceded in death by his sister, Anna Speight F. Reid. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Alzheimer's Association or to Henrietta and Bruce Hinkle Hospice House, 200 Hospice Way, Lexington, NC 27292, or to a charity of the donor’s choice. The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Piedmont Crossing, Thomasville Medical Center, and Hinkle Hospice House of Davidson County.