James Winston "Winn" Porter
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Dr. James Winston "Win" Porter, age 82, passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones on September 29, 2020 in Stone Mountain, Georgia. A native of Baytown, Texas, Dr. Porter received a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and also played shortstop for the Texas Longhorns. He earned his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley in 1965 where he met Linda, his wife of 56 years. Upon graduation, the couple traveled to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where Dr. Porter served as head of the Chemistry Department at the College of Petroleum and Minerals. In 1974, the family returned to Saudi Arabia where Dr. Porter was Bechtel's Program Manager for the Jubail Master Plan, which laid the groundwork for the 20-year $30B Saudi Jubail Industrial Complex.
In 1979, Dr. Porter opened his consulting firm of Porter & Associates in Leesburg, Virginia and in 1985, President Reagan appointed Dr. Porter Assistant Administrator for the EPA. He was the national program manager for the Superfund and RCRA programs. Dr. Porter established a national 25-percent recycling goal for the country's municipal solid wastes, which was reached in 1995. Upon leaving EPA, Dr. Porter returned to his private consulting practice. His work included speaking assignments on energy and environmental matters as well as publishing numerous opinion pieces. In 1999, Dr. Porter was recognized as a Distinguished Engineering Graduate from the Cockerell School of Engineering at the University of Texas, Austin. Win loved his family and doted on his grandchildren. Everyone enjoyed the Porters' farm in Virginia which started with cattle and transitioned to a wholesale tree nursery. His interest in World War II history led to a family project which told the story of his Seven Uncles who came home from World War II, published in 2018. Dr. Porter is survived by his wife Linda; their two daughters Annis (John) and Karen (Jim); four grandchildren Reid, Neil, Dean, and Sydney; his brother R. Wayne (Debra), and four nieces. Dr. Porter was preceded in death by his parents, Travis Juanita and W. Travis Porter, and by his brother, W. Travis II (Dorothy). A Service of Remembrance will be held at 2pm, Friday, October 16, at the Stone Mountain First United Methodist Church. A link is provided at www.billheadfuneralhome.com, click on Tribute Wall. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in his memory to the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas, Austin.