H. Terry Fortune

H. Terry Fortune, Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania Department of Physics and Astronomy, died June 16, 2023 after a long illness.

Professor Fortune was born February 16, 1941 in Ramer, Tennessee.  His parents were sharecroppers and he and his siblings helped with the farming.  Terry graduated from Ramer High School and, with the assistance of his teacher, Estel Mills, received a full scholarship to Memphis State University and graduated summa cum laude in 1963.  He received his Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics at Florida State University in 1967.  After 2 years at Argonne National Laboratory, he joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in 1969, rising to Full Professor in 1976.  He spent the rest of his career at UPenn.  He was very well known in the field of nuclear physics and was frequently invited to give guest lectures at other universities both in the US and abroad (Amsterdam, England and Japan).  He also spent time collecting data from the high energy accelerators located in Los Alamos, Vancouver, New York, and Virginia.  Because of his grasp of personal details, his excellent memory and a slight irreverence, he was a popular choice for special conferences honoring various nuclear physicists.  A prolific scholar, he published well over 500 academic articles and was cited in over 8000 other articles. Terry was highly regarded as a teacher on both the undergraduate and graduate level and directed many Ph.D.’s.  He was an avid bridge player, loved gardening and enjoyed propagating new cuttings from his garden and giving them to friends.  He also was a sports enthusiast, playing hand ball and softball for many years and later watching football and baseball.

Terry’s survivors include a son, Jonathan Forsyth; a daughter Maury Kenworthy (Drew) of Maine; brother Jerry (Sandy) Fortune of Tennessee; sister, Judy Perry (Steve) of Mississippi; 2 grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; long-term companion, Marlynne Micalizzi of Pennsylvania.  He is preceded in death by his daughter, Vivian; his father, Herman; mother,  Virginia; brother, Kenneth.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite charity or plant a tree for Terry.

Funeral services will be livestreamed at the following link:
https://webcasts.lifetributes.com/1274486