Remembering Professor Kenneth Tarby

Wise teacher and trusted adviser, dedicated administrator and Carnac the Magnificent, Stephen Kenneth “Ken” Tarby, who died in November at the age of 82, filled many roles and played them all with relish and competence in 41 years on the Lehigh faculty.

“Ken Tarby was a true gentleman and a devoted and dedicated teacher,” said his colleague Martin P. Harmer, professor of materials science and engineering. “He was indeed one of Lehigh’s finest and a steady rock for our department for years.”

Tarby joined the faculty of the department of materials science and engineering in 1961, when it was called the department of metallurgical engineering. He served the department as interim chair, as associate chair and as the R.D. Stout Professor of materials science and engineering.

“As a graduate student, I had Ken for the most difficult graduate class—thermodynamics,” said John N. DuPont ’94G ’97 Ph.D., the current R.D. Stout Professor. “Ken was, without a doubt, one of the most talented, caring and down-to- earth teachers I had the pleasure of knowing. He was an outstanding communicator who had the special ability to take the most complicated subjects and describe them in a way that made them easy to understand.

“More importantly, his genuine enthusiasm for teaching was inspiring, and his care for students was always obvious. He was delighted when students asked for help, and he displayed incredible patience as students required time to grasp the complicated topics he was teaching.”

His reputation as a demanding but fair professor earned him the nickname “the Hammer.” Tarby was also remembered for his sense of humor. At his department’s annual holiday banquet, he took delight in impersonating Carnac the Magnificent, the mystic created by TV show host Johnny Carson who correctly answered questions before they were asked.

Tarby served in the U.S. Army’s Nuclear Power Program before joining Lehigh’s faculty. He was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Bethlehem. He sang in his church choir and in the Concord Chamber Singers of Bethlehem. He is survived by his wife, two children and two grandchildren.