Michael Bader Pursley

Dr. Michael B. Pursley, 79, husband of Lou Ann Pursley, passed away on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.

Born on August 10, 1945, in Winchester, Indiana, he was a son of the late Bader and Evelyn Pursley.

Dr. Pursley received the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1967 and the Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1968, both from Purdue University. From 1968 to 1974, he was employed in the Space and Communications Group of the Hughes Aircraft Company in Los Angeles. During this time, he also worked toward his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Southern California. After completing his Ph.D. degree in 1974, he joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where he was promoted to the rank of Professor in 1980. In 1992, Dr. Pursley became the first Holcombe Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Clemson University. After retiring in 2018, he was granted the title of Emeritus Professor at Clemson University in recognition of his service to the university and students

Dr. Pursley loved being a professor and excelled at all aspects of the job. He was internationally recognized for his work in wireless communications and information theory. His research had a significant impact on both commercial and military technologies. He was a prolific researcher, publishing over 200 technical papers, and these were cited by other researchers over 7000 times. For his outstanding research contributions, he received multiple awards from the leading technical society for electrical engineering, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), including the IEEE Centennial Medal in 1984 and the IEEE Millennium Medal in 2000. Dr. Pursley was recognized for his work on military communications with the Technical Achievement Award from the IEEE Military Communications Conference in 1999, and he received the IEEE Communication Theory Technical Achievement Award in 2017.

Dr. Pursley was a dedicated educator who mentored and graduated 25 Ph.D. students. Twelve of these became professors at leading universities around the world, supervising future generations of Ph.D. students. This academic family is carrying on Dr. Pursley's legacy, which continues to have an enduring impact on the field of wireless communications. His other Ph.D. students have become leaders in government and industrial labs. Dr. Pursley impacted thousands of other students directly through his teaching at the University of Illinois and Clemson University. Through the two textbooks he authored, Random Processes in Linear Systems (2002) and Introduction to Digital Communications (2005), Dr. Pursley has helped to educate tens of thousands more.

Both of his alma maters honored Dr. Pursley for his outstanding contributions to the fields of electrical and computer engineering. He received a distinguished alumnus award from the University of Southern California in 2005, and he was named Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineer by Purdue University in 2008.

Dr. Pursley found great joy in teaching. He also enjoyed reading history books, hiking to waterfalls, scuba diving and snorkeling adventures with his family.

In addition to his wife, Michael is survived by his daughter, Jessica Ann Pursley of Greenville, SC; his brother Jan Alan Pursley (Lisa Cousin) of High Point, NC; nieces, Alexa Pursley (Niv) of Puerto Rico, Aimee Pursley of Springfield, OH, and nephew Robert Pursley (Becca) of Springfield, OH.

Dr. Pursley was preceded in death by his brother, Dennis Pursley of Winchester, IN

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. 

Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home is assisting the family.