This memorial website was created in loving memory of our Daddy and Papaw, James L. Fouss, P.E., PhD, age 87, who passed away peacefully on February 12, 2024 at the home of his son, in Kyle, Texas. James, known to most as Jim, was born on February 22, 1936 in the village of Warsaw, Coshocton County, Ohio to the late Raymond L. and Hazel (Sergent) Fouss. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his wife of over 61 years, Judith L. (Theiss) Fouss. He is survived by his sister Patti (Roger) Woodford of Beverly, Ohio; daughter JoAnna P. "Jody" (Larry) Weaver and son James M. (Angela) Fouss; 5 grandchildren, Matthew Fouss, Audrey Fouss, Erin Piper, Katy Bridges, and Meagan Suehs; and 6 great-grandchildren, Johnathan Fouss, Laney and Anya Piper, Presley and Willa Bridges, and LeAnn Suehs, all from Texas.

Jim grew up on a family dairy & truck-crop farm near Lowell, Ohio. He graduated from Lowell High School in 1954 and then attended The Ohio State University, Department of Agricultural Engineering and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1959, Master of Science in 1962 and Doctor of Philosophy in 1971.

He enjoyed an accomplished career with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service spanning over 5 decades from 1960 to 2011. Jim held research positions at ARS offices at The Ohio State campus in Columbus, Ohio; Florence, SC; Baton Rouge, LA; and Houma, LA. While at The Ohio State University, he designed the corrugated wall HDPE plastic drainage pipe, a floating-beam drainage plow, and the laser-beam automatic depth and grade-control system for plow-in installation of corrugated plastic subsurface drainage pipe. (This was the first reported use of the laser in agriculture.). This modernized material and equipment for installing subsurface drainage had wide-spread adoption and use in the U.S. and throughout the world by the early 1970's. At Florence, he became Director of the Coastal Plains Soil and Water Conservation Center, and in Baton Rouge the Research Leader of the Soil and Water Research Unit until it was closed in 2009. In Houma he was the Lead Scientists for implementing new areas of research for sugarcane production. Between 1976-1982, he left ARS for a V.P. of Research and New Product Development position with Hancor, Inc. in Findlay, OH. Jim referred to this period as his 6-yr. sabbatical leave to industry, after which he returned to ARS until his retirement in 2011.

Jim authored more than 160 technical journal articles, bulletins, conference proceedings, 10 book chapters, 16 U.S. & 2 foreign patents (while in industry), and many other technical reports on corrugated-wall plastic pipe design. Over his career, he received many awards and honors including the USDA Superior Service Silver Medal Award (1972); the first ever recipient of the ASAE Young Designer Award (1972); Inducted into the International Drainage Hall of Fame, The Ohio State University (1990); Elected Fellow of ASAE (1994); ASABE Soil and Water Engineering Award (2001); ASABE John Deere Gold Medal Award (2006); and the ASCE Royce J. Tipton Award (2019). Jim was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus of the College of Engineering, The Ohio State University in 1975 and an Honorary Lifetime Member of Corrugated Plastic Pipe Association (CPPA) in 1994 among many other honors.

Despite all his professional accomplishments, his family always came first. When his children were young, he and Judy were involved in the PTA, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and took the family on many camping trips and car-ride travels. Jim loved to drive, and he and Judy continued the car-ride travels with their grandchildren, taking them on many spring-break trips to various locations and never missed a birthday celebration, dance recital or play performance despite the fact that they lived in Louisiana and all the grandchildren were in Texas. Jim and Judy enjoyed hosting their children and grandchildren, and even later great-grandchildren, on many summer beach vacations. During retirement, Jim enjoyed taking Judy on many car-ride travels all over the country including the western United States as well of course many trips back to southeastern Ohio to visit family.

A celebration of life will be planned in both Texas and Ohio at a later date, with final burial in Oak Grove Cemetery in Marietta, Ohio.