Horace Hunter Coburn

Horace Hunter Coburn Longtime resident and New Mexico State University (NMSU) professor emeritus, Dr. Horace Hunter Coburn, 92, passed away April 14, 2015 at the Mesilla Valley Hospice La Posada Center. He was born May 10, 1922 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Dr. Charles Arthur Coburn and Viola Mabel Hunter Coburn. They lived in Waltham, Massachusetts until the hard times of the Great Depression brought the family back to their roots in Ohio. The family of four lived for eight years with his maternal grandparents in Ashland, Ohio. The family moved to Columbus, Ohio when his father obtained steady work there. Dr. Coburn graduated from Columbus West High School and then attended the Ohio State University, graduating with a degree in Physics. During World War II, he went to work on the Manhattan Project at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. On a hike while in East Tennessee, he met his future wife, Hope Betti Pleyl, whom he married December 24, 1947. They had three children together. When the war ended, he enrolled at the University of Illinois at Champagne-Urbana, Illinois where he received his Master's Degree. This enabled him to teach Physics at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, teaching there for one year before enrolling at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. After receiving his PhD in 1954, the family moved to New Mexico so that he could begin a teaching career at what was then the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, which later became New Mexico State University. In the early years, he taught half time and worked half time processing data from White Sands Missile Range for what became the Physical Science Laboratory (PSL). He retired in 1989 after 35 years of teaching physics at NMSU. During his tenure there, he took a sabbatical year to study optics at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York and he made two trips to India to work in the US Agency for International Development. In India, he taught high school science teachers ways to use available materials to develop inexpensive laboratory exercises for their classrooms He loved science and wanted to understand the laws of nature and how things worked. He loved teaching, especially teaching those who didn't think they could learn science and those who taught science to young people. The NMSU Education Council voted him their favorite professor in 1984. For many years after his official retirement, he continued this by participating as a science advisor in the Science Advisor (SCIAD) program that puts scientists into classrooms to bring science directly to elementary school students. In 2002, he was named the SCIAD of the Year and, in 2007, he received the Governor's Volunteer Award. In his younger years, he enjoyed hiking, camping, and mountain climbing. Throughout his life, he and Hope valued traveling and understanding different cultures. They traveled extensively throughout the United States and the world. They worked for peace in the world through such organizations as SERVAS, Friendship Force, and the Sister Cities program. In the early years in Las Cruces, he was active in the First United Presbyterian Church, serving as an Elder on the Session and at the Presbytery and Synod levels. Later he was active in the First Christian Church of Las Cruces (Disciples & UCC) and served on its Board of Directors. He served on the board of the Las Cruces Community Concerts, fed the homeless and less fortunate at El Caldito Soup Kitchen, worked to set up the recycling program at the Good Samaritan Retirement Center, and rode his bicycle to work logging more than 27,000 miles. Over a period of twenty-two years, he and Hope were part of a group of University faculty members who planned and developed the Las Alturas subdivision south of NMSU. He also enjoyed working on clocks, in the garden, and in his shop. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Hope Pleyl Coburn; his brother, Dr. Theodore James Coburn; and a granddaughter, Katherine Hope Welch. He is survived by his children, Lynn Coburn of Albuquerque, NM, Carol Coburn (John Welch) of Grand Junction, CO, and James Coburn of Los Angeles, CA; foster-daughter, Marilyn Gonzales of Cibolo, TX; grandchildren Cecily LaFeir, Amelia Zarate (Esteban), Nora Welch, Virginia Dunn (Zach), Chris Brown, and Gabriel Gonzales; six great grandchildren; his sister-in-law, Edith Banta Coburn, nieces Sue Ellen (Jim) Doyle, and Joanne (Steve) Salyards; nephew Charles (Kathy) Coburn; and eight grandnieces and nephews. A memorial service for Horace Coburn will be held at the First Christian Church, 1809 El Paseo Rd., Las Cruces, NM on Saturday, June 27, 2015 at 2 pm. There will be a private interment service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First Christian Church (1809 El Paseo Rd., Las Cruces, NM 88001) and the Union of Concerned Scientists (Two Brattle Square, Cambridge, MA 02138). PDF Printable Version