William Maurice "Bill" Bugg

William Maurice (Bill) Bugg, PhD, age 95, of Knoxville Tennessee passed away on February 19, 2026. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1931 to Maurice Ancel and Abbie Ruth Bugg. His early childhood was spent in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and Louisiana as his father worked on the Mississippi River levee system under construction after the great flood of 1927. On completion of this effort his father entered the field of electric power production serving at steam power plants in Cape Girardeau, Mo, and Hutsonville, Ill and during World War II served with the Army Engineers in Pensacola Florida, St. Louis and Sikeston, Mo producing and testing electrical equipment for the military. In 1945 he was hired by MonSanto Chemical Corporation to be superintendent of the steam plant at ORNL in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Bill's elementary and High School education took place in Cape Girardeau Mo., Hutsonville, Ill, St. Louis Mo. and Oak Ridge, Tennessee. While a student in Oak Ridge high school he worked for the Special Training Division of the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies (ORINS) and the University of Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station (UTAEC), specializing in the use of radioactive materials. He graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 1948 and received his undergraduate degree in Physics from Washington University in St. Louis in 1952. His military service from 1952 to 1954 consisted of duty as an instructor in the Antiaircraft and Guided Missile School in Ft. Bliss Texas. Upon discharge from the service he became a summer employee in the High Voltage Laboratory of the Physics Division at ORNL. He married his beloved wife Marian Sly Bugg and began graduate work in Physics at the University of Tennessee in September,1954, received his PhD degree in physics in September 1959 and joined the Physics Department as Assistant Professor at that time. He served as Physics Department Head from 1968 until his resignation in 1996 to return to full time teaching and research. He resigned his faculty position and became Professor Emeritus in 2002. As the longest serving Department Head, he presided over much of the growth of the Physics Department to its present eminence in nuclear, elementary-particle and condensed matter physics.

He served for many years as consultant and part time employee of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and contributed to the close relationship between UT and ORNL in teaching and research. He was a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers Nuclear and Plasma Physics Society. He was a Chancellor's Research Scholar and was chosen to serve as University Macebearer in 1988.

Bugg's area of research was experimental elementary particle physics. His research career spanned nearly all the detection techniques developed to study the basic building blocks of nature from electron sensitive nuclear emulsion and bubble chambers to construction of complex electronic detectors for experiments at high energy laboratories and accelerators in the US, Europe and Japan.

He was predeceased by his parents, his wife, Marian, sister Peggy Ruth Sanders and her husband James. He is survived by daughter Susan Theresa Ward (Roy), son Thomas Maurice Bugg, daughter Linda Ann Bugg and son David William Bugg (Anne), grandchildren Thomas Jesse Ward, Patrick Roy Ward (Centrice Martin), Emily Jory Knight (Robbie), Jacob Alexander Cherry (Natalie), Joshua and Annabelle Bugg. Great grandchildren Agatha Christie Ward Sowell (Loren), Samuel Clemens Ward (Kale Weaver), Nevin Mulfinger, Mavalynn McAfee, Ashlynn and Evelynn Ward, Kevin (Kionna), Marian, Carolyn and Cathryn Knight and Blakeleigh and Emelia Cherry. Great-great grandchildren Connor James Sowell, Savannah Stimer and Ryker Knight. His sister-in-law Peggy Sly. Nieces Suzanne Sanders, Becca Sanders (Dan) and numerous other nieces and nephews.

Bill and his wife were charter members of Sacred Heart Parish, Knoxville where Bill was a member of the first Sacred Heart Parish Council. He also served for several years as extraordinary distributor of Communion.

Bill and Marian were UT season ticket holders for football and basketball since 1959 & frequently seen cheering on the Vol & Lady Vol Tennis teams. They enjoyed annual family beach vacations and Bill spent many years coaching his children's sports activities.

A receiving of friends will be held on Friday, February 27, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Rose Funeral & Cremation – Mann, 6200 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. A funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, February 28, at 11:30 a.m. at Sacred Heart Cathedral, 711 S Northshore Drive, Knoxville, TN 37919. Burial will follow at 1:00 p.m. at Berry Highland Memorial Cemetery, 5315 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919.

In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Ladies of Charity ,120 W Baxter Ave, Knoxville, TN or to Bill and Marian Bugg Physics Endowment, Physics Department University of Tennessee 401 Nielsen Physics Bldg Knoxville Tennessee 37996-1200.