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Dr. Necip Güven, a resident of San Antonio, Texas passed away peacefully on July 13, 2024, at the age of eighty-eight. Born on April 14, 1936, in Boyalik, Türkiye near Ankara, Necip was the youngest son of Ali and Emine Güven. His family moved to Istanbul in 1951 where he completed his high school degree in Vefa High School in 1956 and earned a scholarship to study in Germany. Necip received his bachelor’s degree and PhD from Göttingen University in geology. Necip then immigrated to the United States in 1962 where he received a post doctorate fellowship in mineralogy at Columbia University in New York. He later completed the post-doctorate program in X-ray crystallography at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington. DC. In 1967, Necip was invited to serve as a professor at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with the assistance of Senator Adlai Stevenson. where he developed his interest in clay minerology, oil, and deep gas drilling. He joined the faculty at Texas Tech University in 1972 and served as a full professor in the Department of Geosciences for 35 years until his retirement in 2008. Post retirement, he continued as a research professor at the University of Texas in San Antonio until 2015. Over his career, Necip published over one- hundred articles and authored two monographs, which according to Applied Clay Science, are ranked among the fifty most valuable contributions to clay science during the last fifty years. He established one of the leading clay laboratories in United States at Texas Tech University. He served as the president (1988-1989) and associate editor (1980-2008) of Clay Minerals Society. He generated research grants and consulted for the Department of Energy, NASA, Sandia Labs of Los Alamos National Laboratories, U.S. Geological Survey and numerous companies. He was a loyal friend and colleague and a devoted teacher and mentor to hundreds of undergraduate, graduate and PhD students, many of whom would later become lifelong friends. Necip married Neriman on August 24, 1970, in Istanbul, Türkiye. They were married for 54 years. Necip is the father of five sons and grandfather of ten grandchildren. In 1977, he became a United States citizen, for which he was forever grateful knowing the possibilities that America offered to him and his family. He was fascinated by sports – a passion he would share with his sons. Necip was a life-long learner. He loved traveling and studying history, religion, and philosophy. He teased those closest to him with love, zest, and vigor. He was a gentleman with a kind and tender heart. Throughout his lifetime, he persevered for his family and was a giving, loving and loyal husband, father, and grandfather. He will be profoundly missed by his family and friends. Necip is survived by his loving wife Neriman; his sons Christofer Attila, Murat, Ferhat, Serhat, and Nihat; their spouses Madhavi, Sara, Susie, Christina, and Zoltan; his grandchildren Sam, Guy, Coco, Henry, Tejas, Christelle, Jacob, Jazmine, Jagger, and Gemma; his sisters Servet Güven and Fethiye Duran, his brother in-law, Adam Sipahi; and his former partner Ursula Fischer. A celebration of his life will be held at Mission Park 8332 Fredericksburg Road San Antonio, TX 78229 on August 9, 2024 at 3:00 pm. Following the service, guests are invited to a reception at the Guven's family home in San Antonio (location would be provided during the service). In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials may be given to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org) and the American Heart Association (www.heart.org). The family is especially grateful to Dr. Bachar Al-Alami, Amira Al-Alami, Dr. Carlos Palacio, Dr. Amit Mehta, Danny Kitchen-Director of Changing Seasons, Lissa Carry, Magda Carmona, July Flores, and all around-the-clock caregivers of Honey’s House of Helotes for their support and loving care.

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Dr. Necip Güven

April 14, 1936 - July 13, 2024