In Memoriam: David Lynn Tippin

1939 - 2022

David Lynn Tippin, 82, passed away on July 13 in Tampa. He was a native of Owensboro, Ky., and a 1957 graduate of Owensboro High School. He graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in civil engineering and was a registered professional engineer in several states.

Tippin retired from the City of Tampa in 2003 after serving as the director of the Tampa Water Department for 29 years, Tampa’s longest serving department director. In his honor, the city renamed its water treatment plant the David L. Tippin Water Treatment Facility. Prior to Tampa he was the supervisor of engineering services for the Cast Iron Pipe Research Association, superintendent of water for the Owensboro Municipal Utilities, and a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service.

He was a former member of the Rotary Club of Tampa and a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow, diplomat of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers, and president of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies. He was awarded honorary membership in the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and served on the boards of AWWA and its Research Foundation. He was also chair of the Florida Section AWWA and awarded life membership in the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Tippin was considered a water industry icon. He presented papers at the International Water Association in Rome, Italy, and was one of eight utility directors invited to visit and confer with water officials in The Netherlands.

He was an active member of the Palma Ceia United Methodist Church and served his church in many capacities. He enjoyed art and visited many of the world’s famous art museums. He was a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity Gold Circle and a Kentucky colonel, with a passion for Kentucky barbecue and the University of Kentucky Wildcats.

He was preceded in death by his muchloved wife of 37 years, Nancy, a talented artist and sculptor, and his brother Terry. He is survived by sons Brad (Kim) and Rew (Rebecca), granddaughter Gwen, companion Gail, sister-in-law Connie, sister Mary Ann (William), and several nieces and nephews. S

Dave Tippin: A Remembrance

The Tampa Water Troll Crosses the River

Marjorie Craig

I remember the day I met Dave Tippin (“Mr. Tippin” or “sir” to me back then). He towered over the cubicles in the City of Tampa Water Department; we could see him across the floor from his office, or rather, he could see us. He had questions for me and wanted answers—right away. He didn’t know my name (yet), and he motioned for me to come to his office.

That day was the first of many times when he patiently spent a little time with me, a junior engineer. I ended up working for him for 18 years (10 as his deputy), and his passing on July 13 of natural causes at 82 years old brought back a flood of memories. Writing this has given me a chance to connect and reconnect with many former coworkers and his family in the process, all of us grieving along the way. The man loved water so much he called himself the “Tampa Water Troll.” Continued on page 6