Memorial Services set for Dr. Paul Torres, Retired Professor of Accounting
Tue, 06/22/2021 - 08:54am | By: David Tisdale
Dr. Paul Delmas Torres, a retired University of Southern Mississippi (USM) professor
of accounting, died May 25 in Destin, Florida. He was 84.
Memorial services for Dr. Torres are set for Saturday, June 26 at 9:30 a.m. at Holy
Trinity Catholic Church in Peachtree City, Georgia; and 10 a.m. Saturday, July 31
at Hulett-Winstead Funeral Home in Hattiesburg, to be followed by a private interment
ceremony at Highland Cemetery, also in Hattiesburg.
A native of Prichard, Alabama, Dr. Torres graduated high school from McGill Institute
in Mobile, Alabama and then attended Spring Hill College, where he earned a bachelor鈥檚
degree. He then pursued a master鈥檚 degree at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa,
where he met his first wife and mother of his children, the late Paula McKenzie.
After obtaining his Ph.D. in accountancy at Oklahoma State University, Dr. Torres
joined the faculty of the then USM College of Business (now College of Business and
Economic Development) in 1970, where he taught for 30 years as a tenured professor
before retiring in 2000.
鈥淚 was sincerely saddened to learn of the death of Paul Torres,鈥� said USM President Emeritus Dr. Aubrey Lucas. 鈥淒r. Torres was an important part of our accounting faculty that was known for superb teaching. We appreciate immensely his service to our University and extend our deepest sympathies to his family.鈥�
Upon retirement from USM, Dr. Torres moved to Savannah, Georgia, and resumed teaching, accepting a position with Savannah State University where he served with its faculty for eight years. In 2011, he settled in Peachtree City to live near family.
鈥淚 have a long list of teachers and professors who made a tremendous impact on my
life. Dr. Paul Torres is at the top of that list,鈥� said USM alumnus and former Mississippi
Supreme Court Justice Randy Pierce. 鈥淚n addition to being a wonderful instructor,
he was a great person.
鈥淚鈥檒l never forget the advice he gave our class. He was discussing ethical situations
CPAs (Certified Public Accountants) sometimes found themselves in. He told us to 鈥榓lways
choose to sleep well versus to eat well.鈥� In other words, don't fall to the temptation
to sacrifice your ethics for the sake of earning a fee or keeping a client. I have
repeated that advice over the years to many people.
鈥淚鈥檓 thankful that Dr. Torres called USM home, and that I had the blessing of having
him as an instructor. My prayers are with his precious family.鈥�