John Stanley "Stan" Fryer

SEVEN OAKS – Dr. Stan Fryer died Sunday, October 9th with family by his side.Born on July 12, 1937, in the tiny and now nonexistent village of Chaumont, KY, near Mammoth Cave National Park, he was the only child of the late John Harvey and Carrie Enola Beckner Fryer.After living in several towns throughout our great country, Stan settled in Columbia, SC where he spent the next forty-five years with his loving wife, a fabulous family, and fantastic neighbors and friends. He is survived by his wife of fifty-six years, Sara Lee Coleman Fryer.Survivors also include his two sons, their wives and their children whom Stan treasured.Son, Mark Edward Fryer and his wife, Michelle Lee Blythe Fryer are the parents of Benjamin Harrison Fryer, Lauren Nicole Fryer and Banks Walton Fryer.Son, David Joseph Fryer and his wife, Gina Marie Holland Fryer are the parents of Coleman Adair Fryer and Hampton Joseph Fryer.Stan is also survived by his sister-in-law, Nancy Coleman Maulding; nephews, Michael Maulding and Matthew Coleman and nieces, Kathryn Helmer and Emily Dodart.Stan had a great love and appreciation for all of his family. In addition to his parents, Stan was predeceased by his grandparents, Thomas H. and Kate H. Fryer of Providence, KY and Veachel J. and Josephine W. Beckner of Chaumont, KY as well as brothers-in-law, R. Edward Coleman of Durham, NC and Donald R. Maulding of Somerville, NJ. Stan graduated from Central High School of Evansville, IN in 1954 and received a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Evansville (UE) in 1959.While at UE, he served as the Cadet Colonel and Commander of the USAF ROTC Group and also worked at the US Naval Ordnance Laboratory in White Oak, MD, alternating college classes and engineering work projects.He was a member of Phi Zeta and Lambda Chi Alpha Social Fraternities and several honor societies. Upon graduation, he entered the USAF, serving in the Strategic Air Command at Hunter Air Force Base in Savannah, GA as a Communications Officer.After leaving active duty in the Air Force in 1962, he served as an electronics engineer at the US Naval Avionics Facility (NAFI) in Indianapolis, IN.His positions included Systems Engineer and Project Engineer of the US Navy’s Navigation Satellite Program, Chief of the Satellite Systems Engineering Branch, and Deputy Program Manager of the Walleye Weapon System Program.This was the forerunner to the modern day global positioning system (GPS).While at NAFI he received the Outstanding Engineer of the Year Award. After several years as an engineer, he decided to pursue growing interests in management research and teaching and entered the prestigious Graduate School of Business at Indiana University (IU), receiving an MBA in 1969 and a Doctorate in Business Administration in 1971.He was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and served as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Management at IU. In 1971, Stan joined the faculty of the College of Business Administration at the University of South Carolina as an Assistant Professor.He taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels including courses in the Master of Business Administration, the Professional MBA, the Master of International Business Studies, the Executive Graduate Program in Health Care Financial Management, and the Ph.D. program.His courses were periodically offered nationally through the National Technological University.He chaired several Ph.D. dissertations.He also taught in several professional education programs and seminars including the Executive Development Program, the Management Development Program and the Production Management Program.Stan served as chair of the Management Department, Director of the Division of Research, Associate Dean for Development and chair of the Management Science Department.He served in the Faculty Senate and on numerous university committees including the University Committee on Tenure and Promotion, the Faculty Welfare Committee, the Athletics Advisory Committee, The Honors College Advisory Committee, the NCAA Certification Steering Committee and chair of its Fiscal Integrity Subcommittee, and as chair of the first Faculty House Board of Governors.He was very active on college committees including several strategic planning task forces.He was among the group of three professors first named as University of South Carolina - Business Partnership Foundation Fellows in recognition of their excellence in scholarship and teaching. Stan published in leading management science journals, presented papers at professional meetings and was active in several professional organizations.His memberships included the Academy of Management, The Decision Sciences Institute, The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, and The American Production and Inventory Control Society.He was chair of the Production Management Division of the Academy of Management, a member of the board of the Association for Business and Economic Research, and vice president, secretary, and executive board member of the Operations Management Association.He chaired numerous academic sessions of professional meetings, reviewed papers and served on editorial boards for professional publications.He was listed in Who’s Who in America and was a member of numerous honor societies.He retired from the USC School of Business in 2000 as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus. Stan had a love for sports and young people and enjoyed being involved with and encouraging his sons in their many athletic pursuits.He was always supportive and provided the time and resources they needed.He coached teams in youth basketball and baseball programs.He served as Treasurer and a board member of the Columbia City Swim League.Stan enjoyed seeing a passion for sports in his grandchildren and always appreciated seeing their games.Stan was also involved in the community as a member of the Planning Division of the United Way of the Midlands and was active in the University of Evansville alumni program. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 15th at Virginia Wingard Memorial United Methodist Church, 1500 Broad River Road, with the Reverend Scott W. Smoak officiating.Burial will follow at the Bush River Memorial Gardens Cemetery with Military Honors.Visitation will be 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, October 14th at Temples-Halloran Funeral Home, 5400 Bush River Road, Columbia, SC 29212. The family extends its heartfelt thanks to Doctors Sarah Schumacher and Barry Feldman and to the staff of Palmetto Health Baptist Parkridge for their kindness and care.It was Stan’s wish that, in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts be made to Virginia Wingard Memorial United Methodist Church, 1500 Broad River Road, Columbia SC 29210 or to a charity of the donor’s choice.