Individual Details

Death

James Bates Abbott III, 81, died at Flagler Hospital on May 31, 2006. A native of Birmingham, Ala., he was the son of Patti Myhand and James Bates Abbott, Jr. He attended Birmingham public schools and attended the University of Alabama until he was assigned to the U.S Navy's V-12 unit at Georgia Tech. He was subsequently assigned to the Amphibious Forces as an officer on U.S.S. LCI(L) 872 in the Western Pacific. He remained active in the Navy League for many years. After the war, he returned to Georgia Tech and was graduated in civil engineering in 1947. Shortly thereafter, he began more than 30 years employment with Hardaway Contracting Co. based in Columbus, Ga. He became vice president of the firm and managed the building of heavy construction projects including: navigation locks and dams, bridges, missile launch facilities, municipal and industrial waste incinerators and electrical generating plants. He also spent some years with the international engineering firm of CH2M Hill as construction services manager for the Eastern United States. Approaching retirement, Mr. Abbott was active in engineering professional organizations. He was president of the Florida Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1985 and 1986 and district director of several states a few years later. He was selected Engineer of the Year by a number of professional organizations. He was a charter member of the South Anastasia Communities Association (S.A.C.A.) He had been an elder in the Presbyterian Church since 1954, having served many congregations, and had served as Sunday school superintendent at the First Presbyterian Church in Gainesville, Fla. for 20 years. He was life member of the Navy League and was active in St. Augustine Navy League Council 469. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Dr. Elizabeth (Betty) F. Abbott; three children and their spouses, James B. Abbott, IV, and his family, and Charles Morgan Abbott and his family, both of Naples, Fla.; Elizabeth Abbott Christian Ems and her family of Gainesville, Fla.; his nephew, Miller Garrett of Hogansville, Ga.; and seven grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a son, John Shaw Abbott. No services are planned and flowers are gratefully declined. Kotrady-Hudgins-Croyle Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements
St. Augustine Record, June 2, 2006