Dr. George A. Adebiyi

Dr. George Adebiyi went to be with his Lord rather unexpectedly on Saturday, October 8th, 2016, at the age of 69. He was born to late John Adesina and Elizabeth Siyanade Adebiyi in Igosun as the second of five children. Ever the eager scholar, he attended Kings College in Lagos, Nigeria for his advanced studies and continued on to the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom to pursue his education in Mechanical Engineering. He received his Bachelor of Science with first class honors in 1969 and his Ph.D in 1973. Additionally, he received his Diploma in Further Education from Huddersfield Polytechnic in 1977. Afterwards, he spent time as a Research Associate with the Central Electricity Research Laboratories (CERL) in England, and the Shell Petroleum Company in Nigeria before transitioning to university faculty positions in Nigeria. In 1985, Dr. Adebiyi joined the faculty at Mississippi State University. Throughout his career, he received many honors including being named a Fulbright Scholar in 2004 and multiple Outstanding Research Paper awards. His passion for making sure other people received their education and pursued their dreams was evident in his active involvement in starting the Increasing Minority Access to Graduate Education program and serving as a long-time faculty advisor of MSU’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. After retirement in 2010, he continued his passion for education as a Professor Emeritus at MSU while pursuing his passion for solar energy research. In addition to education, Dr. Adebiyi loved the Lord. He gave his life to Christ as a teenager and spent the rest of his days glorifying the Lord and sharing the Gospel. He worshipped through his musical talents, playing hymns on the piano both at home and at church and also singing praises in his baritone voice. Finally, Dr. Adebiyi loved his family. He celebrated many years of marital bliss with his wife, Iyabo Oluwafunmilayo. His first marriage was to Mary Olufunmilayo. Both marriages were blessed with seven children - Adenike, Debo, Aderonke, Remi, Oluronke, AdeDoyin and Deola. They also had a beautiful troupe of grandchildren, ranging in age from 21 to 1 - Seyi, Damilola, Jackson, Hannah, Isaiah, Victoria and Elijah. He is preceded in death by his late brother, Lawrence Adebiyi, and survived by three sisters, Mrs. Adedoyin Farinde, Dr. Bimpe Adebiyi and Mrs. Bose Famisa, and many nieces and nephews. To all, he was a source of cheer, joy and unconditional support. To honor his passion for education, gifts can be made toward the Dr. George Adebiyi Memorial Endowed Scholarship through the MSU Foundation at P.O. Box 6149 Mississippi State, MS 39762 or online at www.msufoundation.com. (Indicate Dr. Adebiyi as the Honoree at the bottom of the page.)

Dr. George A. Adebiyi

March 30, 1947 - October 8, 2016