W. Marshall Leach Jr.

William Marshall Leach, Jr., 70, of Tucker, GA, died Saturday, November 20, 2010, in Decatur, Georgia. Dr. Leach was born and raised in Abbeville, SC to the late William Marshall and Sara Benton Harkness Leach, and was a 1958 graduate of Abbeville High School. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1964 with an M. S. in Electrical Engineering. Following graduation from USC, he served in the United States Air Force as an Electronics Research and Development Officer before continuing his education at Georgia Tech Institute of Technology. Dr. Leach received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1972 and joined their staff as a professor in the school of Electrical and Computer Engineering. An author and internationally known authority on Audio-Engineering, Dr. Leach was a quadruple winner of the Outstanding Teacher Award which is an award voted on by the students. He is survived by first cousins, Francis H. Horton, Jr. (Anne), Ned Horton (Geni), and Nancy Jane H. McDaniel (J.W.); second cousins, Judy Howard, Margarite Willis and Annalee Elmore; his Georgia Tech family; and many friends. Graveside services will be held on Friday, November 26 at 3:00 pm in Melrose Cemetery, Abbeville, SC. A memorial service is planned on the Georgia Tech campus at a later date. Memorial contributions, in memory of Dr. Leach's mother, Sara Harkness Leach, may be sent to Columbia College Loyalty Fund, 1301 Columbia College Dr., Columbia, SC 29203. A message of condolence may be sent to the family by visiting www.harrisfuneral.com. HARRIS FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICES is assisting the Leach family.