Dr. Vergil Eugene Stover, who served on the faculty of the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University and was a researcher at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), passed away on Wednesday, July 29, 2020. He was 87.
Stover, a professor emeritus in the department, was recognized as an international expert on access management and roadway design and was co-principal investigator for the first National Access Management Manual. As an engineer and economist, he served as a consultant on major development projects, was an expert witness on access and site development cases, and assisted numerous state and local agencies in developing access management programs and standards.
He worked at TTI in the Roadway Safety program for 28 years from 1966-94. He was a consummate professional who was highly respected, leaving a legacy that spanned several decades and many organizations.
Stover was an emeritus member of the Transportation Research Board Committee on Access Management and a life fellow of the Institute of Transportation Engineers. He authored many influential publications in the field of urban planning, transportation and land development, and received numerous highly influential citations over his long and distinguished career. This included serving as the principal author of the Institution of Transportation Engineers manual, Transportation and Land Development.
After retiring from teaching at Texas A&M in 1991, Stover began a second career as an expert in transportation and site development. As a partner in S&K Enterprises, he provided consulting services for transportation and urban planning for clients worldwide and served as consulting chair for the Florida Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida. He also worked for the National Highway Institute teaching professional development courses for city planners and traffic engineers across the nation.
In 1955, Stover earned his undergraduate degree from Ohio University and earned his Ph.D. in transportation, planning and economics from Purdue University in 1960.
Stover will be laid to rest in the College Station Cemetery alongside his wife of 53 years, Mary Sue Stover, who preceded him in death. He is survived by his brother, Eddie; sons and daughters-in-law, Ken and Becky Stover; Terry Stover; and Curt and Susan Stover; four grandchildren, Rob, Jon, Lauren and Leah Stover; and great-grandson Therin Stover.