DR. TABOR, MARVIN WILSON passed away on January 27 at the age of 71, surrounded by his family. Dr. Tabor was born in Bramwell, West Virginia on November 24, 1944 to Marvin Alvin and Blanche Marie Tabor. His childhood home was close to train tracks and this fostered his lifelong love of trains. Dr. Tabor was a brilliant man who always had a thirst for knowledge in the areas of science, history and nature. He placed a high value on education and used to say that education was the only thing that people can never take away from you.
Family was very important to Dr. Tabor, and he always made it a point to tell his children and grandchildren that he loved them. When his daughters were young, he took them on adventures to the Cincinnati Zoo, Winton Woods, the Cincinnati Museum Center and trips to Oregon, Florida, Virginia and West Virginia. Some of the greatest memories his daughters have of him were reading books together on Saturday morning.
He graduated from Bramwell High School, where he was member of the boys' basketball team. He received his Bachelor's Degree at Emory & Henry College, his Master's Degree from Marshall University and his Doctor of Philosophy Degree from the University of Cincinnati. He joined the faculty of the Department of Environmental Health at the University of Cincinnati in 1979 and retired as professor emeritus in 2007. While at the University, he was director of the Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Analytical Chemistry laboratories and of the Mass Spectroscopy Consortium Facility. His research and advisory areas included: human exposure assessment, environmental persistent and fate of contaminants, human toxicogenetics and environmental monitoring, biodegradation of hazardous wastes, and quality assessment/quality control in environmental toxicology and chemistry.
Dr. Tabor was publicly acclaimed by State Ohio Senate Resolution No. 740 for research work and scientific accomplishments that have furthered scientific understanding of the biology and chemistry of water pollution. Other major honors and recognitions include the Ohio River Valley Consortium for Research and Education Award for outstanding service in the protection of the environment and to the application of environmental research and education in the Ohio River Basin, the Distinguished Scientist of Cincinnati Award by the Engineers and Scientists of Cincinnati, the William and Martha DeFriece Award by the Emory & Henry College for distinguished service to humanity, and the Marshall University 20th Century Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Dr. Tabor was a world-renowned scientist. He was visiting scientist at the Wallenberg Institute for Environmental Studies of the University of Stockholm, at Delft Technical University in The Netherlands, at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, at the Institute of Genetics, Fudan University in China, and at the Department of Toxicology, Second Military Medical University of China. He was also appointed member of the International Biographical Center Advisory Council of Cambridge, England. His international accolades include the Miguel Alemán Award, the highest civilian award given in Mexico for contributions to medical science to improve the health and quality of life of Mexican citizens, and distinguished lecture awards from the Center of Academic Studies on Environmental Pollution in Queretaro, Mexico and the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico in Toluca, Mexico.
Dr. Tabor received grants from the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the National Science Foundation. He was member of research grant study sections and advisory committees for government agencies and national and international research organizations. He was the author of more than 300 papers, abstracts and reports including his seminal contribution to the field of environmental toxicology "Structure elucidation of 3-(2-chloroethoxy)-1, 2-dichloro-propene. A new promutagen from an old drinking water residue" published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology in 1983. He supervised more than 20 student theses and dissertations, and supervised 25 visiting scientists and research scholars from the U.S., Japan, Korea, China, Switzerland, Poland, Denmark, Iraq, Mexico, and Venezuela.
Even though he received many awards and recognition throughout his professional career, his daughters and grandchildren were his greatest achievement. He was a loving father to Samantha (Joe) Tabor-Tebelman and Shannon (John) Cleghorn, devoted grandfather to Nicholas, Hope, J.T., and Aubrey, caring brother to Marilyn (Jack) Parsons, best friend to Herb Kagen, and dedicated companion to his sweet feline Lotus. He also leaves behind his nephew Paul Wilson (Lori) Sykes, nieces Jeanne Marsh, Heather (Eric) Bronner and Beth Sparks, and many appreciative students and friends who will miss his knowledge, kindness and sense of humor. He was preceded in death by his parents, sister and brother-in-law Jean Carol (Gerald) Sykes, and granddaughter Rose.
Although he moved to Cincinnati, OH in 1968, Dr. Tabor continued to feel a deep connection to his hometown of Bramwell, WV. He was a generous man who financially supported many organizations, including his childhood church, his Alma Maters, and many other organizations that support the environment and political causes. Memorial donations may be made to the Elizabeth Bowen Jones Memorial United Methodist Church, c/o Jim Shrader, 3285 New Hope Rd., Princeton, WV 24739 in lieu of flowers.
Services will be held at 2:00 pm Saturday, February 6, 2016 at the Elizabeth Bowen Jones Memorial United Methodist Church in Bramwell, WV with pastor John Cleghorn and Rev. Steve Rector officiating. Interment will follow at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Bluewell. The family will receive friends at 1:00 pm at the church, until the time of the service.