Richard (Dick) Bannister, 85, former Charleston, WV resident, passed away on June 1, 2013, at University of North Carolina Hospitals. Dick was born in Pittsburgh, Pa. on January 25, 1928. He was raised in the small coal-mining community of Clinton Block near Imperial, Pa. He attended Finley Vocational School, where he graduated valedictorian. Dick enlisted in the army prior to graduation, but was permitted to finish high school, and was ordered to attend college at Virginia Military Institute. WWII ended during his first semester. After two semesters, he was assigned to a non-commissioned officer school at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where he became a basic training drill instructor.
Following the war, the number of new recruits slowed and he was reassigned as an MP until his release on May 2, 1947. Dick was accepted for enrollment at Penn State University that September. Due to the large enrollment spurred by the GI Bill, Penn State was matriculating freshmen through small colleges. He chose Edinboro University. This worked out well because the combination of VMI's small class environment and Edinboro's good professorship prepared Dick for the rigors of Penn State's chemical engineering and pre-med courses.
After graduating from Penn State, he attended Delaware University, which offered him a research fellowship, and he graduated with a MS in Chemical Engineering. He was hired by Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) (now Dow Chemical Corporation) in the fall of 1953 and moved to Charleston, W.Va. Dick spent the next 42 years residing in Charleston, where he married and raised a family, contributed to the community, and enjoyed a distinguished career.
Dick married Helen Ann Lowe of Charleston on November 6, 1954, at Christ Church United Methodist (CCUM). They had four children, Rebekah, Elizabeth, Richard, and Sarah. Dick and Ann nurtured their children's upbringing educationally, spiritually, and emotionally. In doing so, Dick lived up to his oft spoken maxim to "leave the world a better place than you found it."
As a role model for character, Dick Bannister was, and is, exemplary. Dick generously gave of his time, talents, resources and leadership in service to CCUM. His love of the music ministry was second only to his love of God. He was a faithful member of the choir for more than 40 years and served on or chaired many committees, including those following the tragic fire of 1969. He was extensively involved in procuring the replacement pipe organ that has blessed, and will continue to bless, thousands of parishioners and music lovers.
In addition to church and family life, Dick enjoyed tennis, genealogy and satiating his boundless intellectual curiosity. On the tennis court, he was recognized as a fierce competitor that kept him atop the tennis ladder year after year. He spent countless hours researching and documenting family history going back to the early 17th century. His love of culture and quest for knowledge were unceasing passions he shared with his family. He sang in the Charleston Symphony Chorus and Light Opera Guild.
His children recall activities and vacations founded as much on their cultural and educational value as their entertainment potential: symphonies, planetariums, coin collecting, ballet, art, musical instruments, exploring natural wonders, and historical sites and museums. Of course, there were also athletic pursuits such as swimming, tennis, track, basketball and football.
Along with a rich family and community life, Dick enjoyed a distinguished professional career. In his first 13 years while in UCC R&D, Dick researched and developed diverse processes such as partial oxidation of methane to acetylene, coal liquefaction, cresol separation, butadiene recovery, and herbicide synthesis. His interest in developing more effective approaches to process development and design led him to Engineering, where he helped guide efforts in advancing design techniques and in executing process and equipment development, design and plant trouble-shooting programs. The thrust of Dick's early contributions was the development and application of more accurate and cost effective design methods. Of particular note was his pioneering application of chromatographic techniques to study reactions and separations by direct measurement of kinetics and physical properties, as well as statistical approaches to correlate and evaluate data, thermodynamic principles to model phase and reaction equilibria, bench techniques for scale-ups and novel unit operations such as ultrasonic homogenizers, microwave dryers, dense gas extractors, heat pipes and pressure swing adsorption.
In the mid 1960's, UCC leveraged Dick's technical skills by assigning him to lead the Chemical Engineering Technology group. Setting expectations high, his technical team rapidly expanded before splitting into several subgroups that provided specialized capability in diverse chemical engineering disciplines (e.g., reactions, fluid flow, heat transfer, separations, thermodynamics). Co-workers remember and appreciate his confident leadership and recall how he generously and patiently passed on his deep understanding of complex technological concepts. His technology group was a UCC strength, giving the company a technical advantage over the competition. From this success, UCC asked him to form and develop the company's Chemical Engineering Technology Skill Center (Chem Tech), which supported work for the specification of reaction and separation systems. He used this experience to better promote and contribute to science education, including serving and chairing many advisory boards: the WV Youth Science Camp, WVU National Energy Research Center, WVU, WV Tech and WV Graduate College and AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) Continuing Education. Dick was a great supporter of the Department of Chemical Engineering at WVU, which honors his contributions to chemical engineering education through the annual R. Richard Bannister Distinguished Seminar Series.
The AIChE recognized his contribution to the field by conferring upon him the title AIChE Fellow.
Dick retired in December 1993 as a Corporate Research Fellow and ranking/senior member of the department in his field at Union Carbide's Technical Center in South Charleston, W.Va. After retiring from UCC in 1993, Dick designed and oversaw construction of his retirement home in a Lake Keowee, S.C. resort community. There, he participated in community activities, square dancing and hiking, and pursued sailing, fulfilling a dream delayed by the demands of family, career, and community involvement.
In 2004, Dick moved to the Raleigh-Durham, NC area to be closer to his eldest daughter, Rebekah. There, he continued to research genealogy, enjoy the company of his wife and grandchildren, relish all things Penn State (particularly the football program), and support the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dick is survived by his wife, Ann of Pittsboro, N.C.; children, Rebekah Crawford of Hillsborough, N.C., Elizabeth Bannister of Mesa, Ariz., Richard Bannister of Lynchburg, Va. and Sarah Samms of Arlington, Texas; grandchildren, Rena and Ryan Crawford, Jordan and Abraham Samms, Xavier and Xenia Bannister; several nieces and nephews, and other extended family.
A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 29, at Christ United Methodist Church of Chapel Hill, N.C. In lieu of flowers, the family suggested remembering Dick by donating to: Saint Mark's Episcopal Church 18313 Lappan's Road, Boonsboro, MD 21713, or Christ Church United Methodist 1221 Quarrier Street, Charleston, WV 25301.
(The Charleston Gazette – Obituary)
Following the war, the number of new recruits slowed and he was reassigned as an MP until his release on May 2, 1947. Dick was accepted for enrollment at Penn State University that September. Due to the large enrollment spurred by the GI Bill, Penn State was matriculating freshmen through small colleges. He chose Edinboro University. This worked out well because the combination of VMI's small class environment and Edinboro's good professorship prepared Dick for the rigors of Penn State's chemical engineering and pre-med courses.
After graduating from Penn State, he attended Delaware University, which offered him a research fellowship, and he graduated with a MS in Chemical Engineering. He was hired by Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) (now Dow Chemical Corporation) in the fall of 1953 and moved to Charleston, W.Va. Dick spent the next 42 years residing in Charleston, where he married and raised a family, contributed to the community, and enjoyed a distinguished career.
Dick married Helen Ann Lowe of Charleston on November 6, 1954, at Christ Church United Methodist (CCUM). They had four children, Rebekah, Elizabeth, Richard, and Sarah. Dick and Ann nurtured their children's upbringing educationally, spiritually, and emotionally. In doing so, Dick lived up to his oft spoken maxim to "leave the world a better place than you found it."
As a role model for character, Dick Bannister was, and is, exemplary. Dick generously gave of his time, talents, resources and leadership in service to CCUM. His love of the music ministry was second only to his love of God. He was a faithful member of the choir for more than 40 years and served on or chaired many committees, including those following the tragic fire of 1969. He was extensively involved in procuring the replacement pipe organ that has blessed, and will continue to bless, thousands of parishioners and music lovers.
In addition to church and family life, Dick enjoyed tennis, genealogy and satiating his boundless intellectual curiosity. On the tennis court, he was recognized as a fierce competitor that kept him atop the tennis ladder year after year. He spent countless hours researching and documenting family history going back to the early 17th century. His love of culture and quest for knowledge were unceasing passions he shared with his family. He sang in the Charleston Symphony Chorus and Light Opera Guild.
His children recall activities and vacations founded as much on their cultural and educational value as their entertainment potential: symphonies, planetariums, coin collecting, ballet, art, musical instruments, exploring natural wonders, and historical sites and museums. Of course, there were also athletic pursuits such as swimming, tennis, track, basketball and football.
Along with a rich family and community life, Dick enjoyed a distinguished professional career. In his first 13 years while in UCC R&D, Dick researched and developed diverse processes such as partial oxidation of methane to acetylene, coal liquefaction, cresol separation, butadiene recovery, and herbicide synthesis. His interest in developing more effective approaches to process development and design led him to Engineering, where he helped guide efforts in advancing design techniques and in executing process and equipment development, design and plant trouble-shooting programs. The thrust of Dick's early contributions was the development and application of more accurate and cost effective design methods. Of particular note was his pioneering application of chromatographic techniques to study reactions and separations by direct measurement of kinetics and physical properties, as well as statistical approaches to correlate and evaluate data, thermodynamic principles to model phase and reaction equilibria, bench techniques for scale-ups and novel unit operations such as ultrasonic homogenizers, microwave dryers, dense gas extractors, heat pipes and pressure swing adsorption.
In the mid 1960's, UCC leveraged Dick's technical skills by assigning him to lead the Chemical Engineering Technology group. Setting expectations high, his technical team rapidly expanded before splitting into several subgroups that provided specialized capability in diverse chemical engineering disciplines (e.g., reactions, fluid flow, heat transfer, separations, thermodynamics). Co-workers remember and appreciate his confident leadership and recall how he generously and patiently passed on his deep understanding of complex technological concepts. His technology group was a UCC strength, giving the company a technical advantage over the competition. From this success, UCC asked him to form and develop the company's Chemical Engineering Technology Skill Center (Chem Tech), which supported work for the specification of reaction and separation systems. He used this experience to better promote and contribute to science education, including serving and chairing many advisory boards: the WV Youth Science Camp, WVU National Energy Research Center, WVU, WV Tech and WV Graduate College and AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) Continuing Education. Dick was a great supporter of the Department of Chemical Engineering at WVU, which honors his contributions to chemical engineering education through the annual R. Richard Bannister Distinguished Seminar Series.
The AIChE recognized his contribution to the field by conferring upon him the title AIChE Fellow.
Dick retired in December 1993 as a Corporate Research Fellow and ranking/senior member of the department in his field at Union Carbide's Technical Center in South Charleston, W.Va. After retiring from UCC in 1993, Dick designed and oversaw construction of his retirement home in a Lake Keowee, S.C. resort community. There, he participated in community activities, square dancing and hiking, and pursued sailing, fulfilling a dream delayed by the demands of family, career, and community involvement.
In 2004, Dick moved to the Raleigh-Durham, NC area to be closer to his eldest daughter, Rebekah. There, he continued to research genealogy, enjoy the company of his wife and grandchildren, relish all things Penn State (particularly the football program), and support the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dick is survived by his wife, Ann of Pittsboro, N.C.; children, Rebekah Crawford of Hillsborough, N.C., Elizabeth Bannister of Mesa, Ariz., Richard Bannister of Lynchburg, Va. and Sarah Samms of Arlington, Texas; grandchildren, Rena and Ryan Crawford, Jordan and Abraham Samms, Xavier and Xenia Bannister; several nieces and nephews, and other extended family.
A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 29, at Christ United Methodist Church of Chapel Hill, N.C. In lieu of flowers, the family suggested remembering Dick by donating to: Saint Mark's Episcopal Church 18313 Lappan's Road, Boonsboro, MD 21713, or Christ Church United Methodist 1221 Quarrier Street, Charleston, WV 25301.
(The Charleston Gazette – Obituary)
Richard (Dick) Bannister, 85, former Charleston, WV resident, passed away on June 1, 2013, at University of North Carolina Hospitals. Dick was born in Pittsburgh, Pa. on January 25, 1928. He was raised in the small coal-mining community of Clinton Block near Imperial, Pa. He attended Finley Vocational School, where he graduated valedictorian. Dick enlisted in the army prior to graduation, but was permitted to finish high school, and was ordered to attend college at Virginia Military Institute. WWII ended during his first semester. After two semesters, he was assigned to a non-commissioned officer school at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where he became a basic training drill instructor.
Following the war, the number of new recruits slowed and he was reassigned as an MP until his release on May 2, 1947. Dick was accepted for enrollment at Penn State University that September. Due to the large enrollment spurred by the GI Bill, Penn State was matriculating freshmen through small colleges. He chose Edinboro University. This worked out well because the combination of VMI's small class environment and Edinboro's good professorship prepared Dick for the rigors of Penn State's chemical engineering and pre-med courses.
After graduating from Penn State, he attended Delaware University, which offered him a research fellowship, and he graduated with a MS in Chemical Engineering. He was hired by Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) (now Dow Chemical Corporation) in the fall of 1953 and moved to Charleston, W.Va. Dick spent the next 42 years residing in Charleston, where he married and raised a family, contributed to the community, and enjoyed a distinguished career.
Dick married Helen Ann Lowe of Charleston on November 6, 1954, at Christ Church United Methodist (CCUM). They had four children, Rebekah, Elizabeth, Richard, and Sarah. Dick and Ann nurtured their children's upbringing educationally, spiritually, and emotionally. In doing so, Dick lived up to his oft spoken maxim to "leave the world a better place than you found it."
As a role model for character, Dick Bannister was, and is, exemplary. Dick generously gave of his time, talents, resources and leadership in service to CCUM. His love of the music ministry was second only to his love of God. He was a faithful member of the choir for more than 40 years and served on or chaired many committees, including those following the tragic fire of 1969. He was extensively involved in procuring the replacement pipe organ that has blessed, and will continue to bless, thousands of parishioners and music lovers.
In addition to church and family life, Dick enjoyed tennis, genealogy and satiating his boundless intellectual curiosity. On the tennis court, he was recognized as a fierce competitor that kept him atop the tennis ladder year after year. He spent countless hours researching and documenting family history going back to the early 17th century. His love of culture and quest for knowledge were unceasing passions he shared with his family. He sang in the Charleston Symphony Chorus and Light Opera Guild.
His children recall activities and vacations founded as much on their cultural and educational value as their entertainment potential: symphonies, planetariums, coin collecting, ballet, art, musical instruments, exploring natural wonders, and historical sites and museums. Of course, there were also athletic pursuits such as swimming, tennis, track, basketball and football.
Along with a rich family and community life, Dick enjoyed a distinguished professional career. In his first 13 years while in UCC R&D, Dick researched and developed diverse processes such as partial oxidation of methane to acetylene, coal liquefaction, cresol separation, butadiene recovery, and herbicide synthesis. His interest in developing more effective approaches to process development and design led him to Engineering, where he helped guide efforts in advancing design techniques and in executing process and equipment development, design and plant trouble-shooting programs. The thrust of Dick's early contributions was the development and application of more accurate and cost effective design methods. Of particular note was his pioneering application of chromatographic techniques to study reactions and separations by direct measurement of kinetics and physical properties, as well as statistical approaches to correlate and evaluate data, thermodynamic principles to model phase and reaction equilibria, bench techniques for scale-ups and novel unit operations such as ultrasonic homogenizers, microwave dryers, dense gas extractors, heat pipes and pressure swing adsorption.
In the mid 1960's, UCC leveraged Dick's technical skills by assigning him to lead the Chemical Engineering Technology group. Setting expectations high, his technical team rapidly expanded before splitting into several subgroups that provided specialized capability in diverse chemical engineering disciplines (e.g., reactions, fluid flow, heat transfer, separations, thermodynamics). Co-workers remember and appreciate his confident leadership and recall how he generously and patiently passed on his deep understanding of complex technological concepts. His technology group was a UCC strength, giving the company a technical advantage over the competition. From this success, UCC asked him to form and develop the company's Chemical Engineering Technology Skill Center (Chem Tech), which supported work for the specification of reaction and separation systems. He used this experience to better promote and contribute to science education, including serving and chairing many advisory boards: the WV Youth Science Camp, WVU National Energy Research Center, WVU, WV Tech and WV Graduate College and AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) Continuing Education. Dick was a great supporter of the Department of Chemical Engineering at WVU, which honors his contributions to chemical engineering education through the annual R. Richard Bannister Distinguished Seminar Series.
The AIChE recognized his contribution to the field by conferring upon him the title AIChE Fellow.
Dick retired in December 1993 as a Corporate Research Fellow and ranking/senior member of the department in his field at Union Carbide's Technical Center in South Charleston, W.Va. After retiring from UCC in 1993, Dick designed and oversaw construction of his retirement home in a Lake Keowee, S.C. resort community. There, he participated in community activities, square dancing and hiking, and pursued sailing, fulfilling a dream delayed by the demands of family, career, and community involvement.
In 2004, Dick moved to the Raleigh-Durham, NC area to be closer to his eldest daughter, Rebekah. There, he continued to research genealogy, enjoy the company of his wife and grandchildren, relish all things Penn State (particularly the football program), and support the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dick is survived by his wife, Ann of Pittsboro, N.C.; children, Rebekah Crawford of Hillsborough, N.C., Elizabeth Bannister of Mesa, Ariz., Richard Bannister of Lynchburg, Va. and Sarah Samms of Arlington, Texas; grandchildren, Rena and Ryan Crawford, Jordan and Abraham Samms, Xavier and Xenia Bannister; several nieces and nephews, and other extended family.
A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 29, at Christ United Methodist Church of Chapel Hill, N.C. In lieu of flowers, the family suggested remembering Dick by donating to: Saint Mark's Episcopal Church 18313 Lappan's Road, Boonsboro, MD 21713, or Christ Church United Methodist 1221 Quarrier Street, Charleston, WV 25301.
(The Charleston Gazette – Obituary)
Following the war, the number of new recruits slowed and he was reassigned as an MP until his release on May 2, 1947. Dick was accepted for enrollment at Penn State University that September. Due to the large enrollment spurred by the GI Bill, Penn State was matriculating freshmen through small colleges. He chose Edinboro University. This worked out well because the combination of VMI's small class environment and Edinboro's good professorship prepared Dick for the rigors of Penn State's chemical engineering and pre-med courses.
After graduating from Penn State, he attended Delaware University, which offered him a research fellowship, and he graduated with a MS in Chemical Engineering. He was hired by Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) (now Dow Chemical Corporation) in the fall of 1953 and moved to Charleston, W.Va. Dick spent the next 42 years residing in Charleston, where he married and raised a family, contributed to the community, and enjoyed a distinguished career.
Dick married Helen Ann Lowe of Charleston on November 6, 1954, at Christ Church United Methodist (CCUM). They had four children, Rebekah, Elizabeth, Richard, and Sarah. Dick and Ann nurtured their children's upbringing educationally, spiritually, and emotionally. In doing so, Dick lived up to his oft spoken maxim to "leave the world a better place than you found it."
As a role model for character, Dick Bannister was, and is, exemplary. Dick generously gave of his time, talents, resources and leadership in service to CCUM. His love of the music ministry was second only to his love of God. He was a faithful member of the choir for more than 40 years and served on or chaired many committees, including those following the tragic fire of 1969. He was extensively involved in procuring the replacement pipe organ that has blessed, and will continue to bless, thousands of parishioners and music lovers.
In addition to church and family life, Dick enjoyed tennis, genealogy and satiating his boundless intellectual curiosity. On the tennis court, he was recognized as a fierce competitor that kept him atop the tennis ladder year after year. He spent countless hours researching and documenting family history going back to the early 17th century. His love of culture and quest for knowledge were unceasing passions he shared with his family. He sang in the Charleston Symphony Chorus and Light Opera Guild.
His children recall activities and vacations founded as much on their cultural and educational value as their entertainment potential: symphonies, planetariums, coin collecting, ballet, art, musical instruments, exploring natural wonders, and historical sites and museums. Of course, there were also athletic pursuits such as swimming, tennis, track, basketball and football.
Along with a rich family and community life, Dick enjoyed a distinguished professional career. In his first 13 years while in UCC R&D, Dick researched and developed diverse processes such as partial oxidation of methane to acetylene, coal liquefaction, cresol separation, butadiene recovery, and herbicide synthesis. His interest in developing more effective approaches to process development and design led him to Engineering, where he helped guide efforts in advancing design techniques and in executing process and equipment development, design and plant trouble-shooting programs. The thrust of Dick's early contributions was the development and application of more accurate and cost effective design methods. Of particular note was his pioneering application of chromatographic techniques to study reactions and separations by direct measurement of kinetics and physical properties, as well as statistical approaches to correlate and evaluate data, thermodynamic principles to model phase and reaction equilibria, bench techniques for scale-ups and novel unit operations such as ultrasonic homogenizers, microwave dryers, dense gas extractors, heat pipes and pressure swing adsorption.
In the mid 1960's, UCC leveraged Dick's technical skills by assigning him to lead the Chemical Engineering Technology group. Setting expectations high, his technical team rapidly expanded before splitting into several subgroups that provided specialized capability in diverse chemical engineering disciplines (e.g., reactions, fluid flow, heat transfer, separations, thermodynamics). Co-workers remember and appreciate his confident leadership and recall how he generously and patiently passed on his deep understanding of complex technological concepts. His technology group was a UCC strength, giving the company a technical advantage over the competition. From this success, UCC asked him to form and develop the company's Chemical Engineering Technology Skill Center (Chem Tech), which supported work for the specification of reaction and separation systems. He used this experience to better promote and contribute to science education, including serving and chairing many advisory boards: the WV Youth Science Camp, WVU National Energy Research Center, WVU, WV Tech and WV Graduate College and AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) Continuing Education. Dick was a great supporter of the Department of Chemical Engineering at WVU, which honors his contributions to chemical engineering education through the annual R. Richard Bannister Distinguished Seminar Series.
The AIChE recognized his contribution to the field by conferring upon him the title AIChE Fellow.
Dick retired in December 1993 as a Corporate Research Fellow and ranking/senior member of the department in his field at Union Carbide's Technical Center in South Charleston, W.Va. After retiring from UCC in 1993, Dick designed and oversaw construction of his retirement home in a Lake Keowee, S.C. resort community. There, he participated in community activities, square dancing and hiking, and pursued sailing, fulfilling a dream delayed by the demands of family, career, and community involvement.
In 2004, Dick moved to the Raleigh-Durham, NC area to be closer to his eldest daughter, Rebekah. There, he continued to research genealogy, enjoy the company of his wife and grandchildren, relish all things Penn State (particularly the football program), and support the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dick is survived by his wife, Ann of Pittsboro, N.C.; children, Rebekah Crawford of Hillsborough, N.C., Elizabeth Bannister of Mesa, Ariz., Richard Bannister of Lynchburg, Va. and Sarah Samms of Arlington, Texas; grandchildren, Rena and Ryan Crawford, Jordan and Abraham Samms, Xavier and Xenia Bannister; several nieces and nephews, and other extended family.
A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 29, at Christ United Methodist Church of Chapel Hill, N.C. In lieu of flowers, the family suggested remembering Dick by donating to: Saint Mark's Episcopal Church 18313 Lappan's Road, Boonsboro, MD 21713, or Christ Church United Methodist 1221 Quarrier Street, Charleston, WV 25301.
(The Charleston Gazette – Obituary)
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