Furman South III ’43, to some people Mr. SAE or Mr. True Gentleman, to others father, brother, or friend, passed away on January 18, 2014, at the age of 92.
He was a legend at Hillcrest, making his first trip to Ithaca at the ripe old age of 7 with his father. Furman graduated from Cornell in 1943, long before most of us were born, but he did make a lasting impact on many of us. His dad, Furman ’12, and brother, Richard ’46, were also SAEs, as are his sons, Hank ’69 and the late Cawood ’71, and grandson, Cawood ’95.
Furman was always active in SAE and Cornell affairs, including crew, and was for a long time head of the house corporation before Hillcrest was owned by the university. He never lost faith in NY Alpha, but he did recognize when it was time for him to yield responsibility to a younger team.
Last June was Furman South’s 70th reunion. Can you imagine the stories he had to tell from age seven until his 70th reunion???
Furman will certainly be missed and remembered by those who knew and loved him for his long-time support and dedication to Hillcrest, NY Alpha, and Cornell University.
Hal Sieling ’62
A remembrance from Todd Kennett ’91, Spirit of ’57 Director of Rowing and head coach of heavyweight rowing at Cornell…
“I want to share a short memory. Two old friends of Cornell Rowing left us. First Philip Rosen and second Furman South III ’43, who passed last week. Both were identical in their writeups. Veterans of WWII (Philip was part of the Manhattan Project, and Furman was part of the invasion at Okinawa, Japan, where he was wounded). Both men were survived by loyal families, had a ton to do with their communities, and were huge supporters of the crew. I personally can remember Furman South’s receptions after the Head of the Ohio races. Many years of Cornell Rowers will never forget the support from these wonderful alums. May flat, calm waters be part of their journey.”
