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Francis Pettit Bundy |
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P. Bundy died peacefully Saturday evening, age 97, in the presence of his
daughter, Suzanne, and sister-in-law, Mildred Garling. He is
survived by his four children: John F. Bundy, Suzanne B. Moffat, Freda B.
Hofland, and David S. Bundy, his sister Anita Cheek, and was predeceased
by his beloved wife, Hazel, who died September 2006. According to
his wishes, there will be no memorial service, the body will be cremated,
and the ashes disposed of in a manner previously directed. Any
memorial observances could be made to Otterbein College or the
Otterbein/Lebanon Retirement Community. Dr. Francis P. Bundy, physicist, gardener, outdoors man, and soaring enthusiast - to name but a few of his interests and accomplishments was admired for his scientific prowess, his love of soaring, and was unfailingly generous to all those he mentored. Born September 1, 1910 in Columbus Ohio, to Edith Claire [nee] Scott and Lyman Edmund Bundy, married to Hazel Victoria Forwood, 1936, in Springfield Illinois. He attended Lancaster High School, Lancaster Ohio [1927], and graduated from Otterbein College, Westerville Ohio [1931] After earning his doctorate at Ohio State University [1937], he taught at Ohio University in Athens Ohio, before joining the Harvard Underwater Sound Lab during World War II, where he worked on sonar devices. After the war effort, he joined the General Electric Research Laboratory, Schenectady NY, January 1946, and there specialized in various fields of physics, mechanics, optics, radiation, heat transfer, and, most notably to the world at large, superpressure physics, where he was a member of the GE team which perfected the process for "Man-Made" diamonds. He was a fellow of the American Physical Society, Sigma Xi, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He published over one hundred scientific papers, and won many awards and much recognition for his various scientific and gliding accomplishments. Most notably, he was recognized in 1987 with the Bridgman Gold Medal of the International Association for for the Advancement of High Pressure Science and Technology. He has more than 8000 glider flights in his logbook, and was elected to the National Soaring Museum's "Hall of Fame". Francis Bundy will be long remembered with admiration and affection by his children, scientific colleagues, gliding friends and students, and a host of people whose paths he influentially crossed during his wonderfully long, rich, and creative life. |
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(Originally printed in Otterbein Tan Lines, the Alumni Magazine of Otterbein College) |
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When Francis and Hazel Bundy
began their studies at Otterbein College in the late 1920s, they did not
realize how much this small liberal arts college would enrich their lives
and touch their hearts. As
dedicated members of the United Brethren Church, Francis and Hazel chose
to attend Otterbein College because of their religious beliefs. Neither of
them had much money and During
the second semester of his freshman year, Francis ran out of money and
received a letter from the school treasurer that he would “I had taught myself how to write calligraphy, so I told the treasurer I would write the names on all the diplomas in calligraphy in order to pay for my tuition,” Francis said. “He told me we would have to talk to the president.” “President Clippinger was a dignified person with bushy eyebrows and most of us were afraid of him. But when he called me into his office to talk about this, I found out that he really had our best interests at heart,” he said. President Clippinger agreed to Francis’ proposal and paid him $.50 a diploma for his calligraphy work; work he would continue for the next 10 years as a favor to the president. “I have had a soft spot in my heart for him ever since,” Francis said. “That is why we named Clippinger classroom in Towers Hall after him. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have made it through college.” Although
they are both the same age, Hazel appeared on the Otterbein campus as a
freshman when Francis was a senior. “Hazel was walking to math class and
I was walking the other way to English class –and I spotted her right
away,” Francis recalled. “One look was all it took.” Hazel
was the daughter of a United Brethren Church minister, and although they
moved around frequently, she and her two sisters were determined to go to
college. “After high school, my sisters and I worked at a newspaper
office and put our little checks in the bank. We lived at home and saved
our money,” she said. Hazel
began her education at Otterbein three years after graduating from high
school in Springfield, Illinois. “It was very exciting for me to go off
to college,” she said. “I lived in Cochran Hall with my sister for two
years on the fourth floor in the northeast corner Hazel
was an avid piano player, playing for the Otterbein Glee Club and
accompanying many soloists. She received a Bachelor of Music degree in
piano and a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Otterbein. “I
worked out two degrees in four years by taking extra courses,” Hazel
said. “I liked to learn and I was always a good student.” After Francis received his PhD in physics from OSU, he and Hazel were married in 1936. Francis taught physics at Ohio University in Athens from1937 to 1942. During World War II, he worked at an underwater sound lab at Harvard University. From there, he went to work for GE’s research lab in Schenectady, New York for 47 years, where he became the first person on his team to make the man-made diamond. During this time, Hazel continued to play piano and began her career as a mother of four. Although Francis’ science career took them to many universities, Otterbein always remained close to their hearts. After
leaving Ohio, “We
have felt quite honored and dedicated to Otterbein College,”
Francis said. In 1956, Otterbein awarded Francis the Distinguished Alumnus
Award, and in 1959, an honorary doctorate of science degree. Francis
and Hazel came home to Ohio 11 years ago, when they took up residence in
the Otterbein Lebanon Retirement Home. Although there is no formal
connection to the college, many Otterbein alumni reside there. “When
we came to the retirement home, we renewed many friendships with people we
knew at Otterbein,” Hazel said. “There’s something really nice about
finding people you knew when you were young,” she said. Francis
and Hazel’s dedication to and support of Otterbein College began many
years ago, but their generosity continues to affect future generations of
Otterbein students who will also work their way through college, create
lasting memories, and maybe, if they’re lucky, meet the love of their
life while walking to
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