DONALD STEVISON Obituary

Name: Visitation for DONALD STEVISON
Start: 2021-10-11T16:00:00.000Z
End: 2021-10-11T20:00:00.000Z
Location: Trostel, Chapman, Dunbar & Fraley Funeral Home

STEVISON,

Donald Franklin

Donald Franklin Stevison 86, of New Carlisle peacefully passed away Monday, October 4, 2021. He was born on January 2, 1935, in Chillicothe, Ohio, to the late Oscar Franklin and Cora Jane Stevison. Donald was a graduate of Chillicothe High School, Ohio University and The Ohio State University. He worked for 31 years at Wright-Patterson AFB as a Nuclear Physicist. Donald was a member of the Kettering Banjo Society, The Ragtime Riverboats Rats Band and was inducted into the American Banjo Hall of Fame and was a past President of All Frets. Don was a member of the Masonic Lodge #100 chapter 57, Antioch Shrine & Scottish Rite. Don is survived by his wife of 46 years Constance

Stevison; children Aric (Tara) Stevison, Robin (Gary) Dinsmore, Max (Karen) Newhart and Jeff (Barb) Stevison; grandchildren, Alyssa Stevison, Patrick Stevison, Alex Clayborn, Nathan

Clayborn, Megan Newhart, Justin (Mandy) Cassley, Jarrod

(Leslie) Cassley, Bryan (Kari) Cassley; eight great-grandchildren; brother-in-law Bill (Joy) Hester and sister-in-law Cindy Carpenter. Visitation will be held from 4-8pm at TROSTEL, CHAPMAN, DUNBAR & FRALEY FUNERAL HOME in New Carlisle, on Monday, October 11, 2021. The funeral service to honor Don's life will be held on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, at 10 am. Memorial contributions may be made in Don's name to the American Banjo Museum, 9 East Sheridan,

Oklahoma City, OK 73104. Expressions of sympathy may be made at trostelchapman.com.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Dayton Daily News on Oct. 7, 2021.

Memories and Condolences
for DONALD STEVISON

Sponsored by Trostel, Chapman, Dunbar & Fraley Funeral Home.

4 Entries

John R Williamson

October 16, 2021

I am an alumni of the Air Force Materials Laboratory as Don was. I collect Obits from former alumni. Some times people like to add their thoughts to my obit. Here are some that I got for Don:
Thoughts from people who knew Don:

Jim Mattice: A great and funny guy. Always seemed to have the right things in focus.

John Speers: Don was a great guy dedicated at work and very skilled in banjo. He taught courses in banjo here and in national meets. My father-in-law played with him in the Kettering Banjo Society and traveled to a number of presentations. Always fun, especially with him playing lead. Folks will miss his subtle wit and superb music skills.

Merrill Minges: I worked side by side with him when he first came to ML in the early 60´s. In 1961 Don, Gary Denman and I (2nd Lt) were directed by Al Lovelace and Walt Conrardy to create a new ML Thermal Properties Laboratory. Each of us had specialties: Mr. Denman built research equipment for measuring dynamic thermal properties, Lt. Minges did thermal conductivity and Don did optical properties. Don had the fanciest equipment - very sophisticated optical equipment built by Perkin Elmer. We all published together and Steve was a definitive national authority in optics. He also partnered with lead researchers in the optics arena at the National Bureau of Standards (now NIST).
Building 17 was occupied for the first time by ML in 1960 to house ML headquarters and the newly created Applications Division (now System Support). The thermal lab was part an important element of this new division. Thus, as you might expect, Don´s new lab was often visited by Col Standifer, the ML director at the time to see all the new machinery and learn what it was supposed to do. Adjacent to this lab was the newly created mechanical properties/design data lab run by Clay Harmsworth. Don´s boss, the section chief, Ed Horne is pictured by one of Clay´s tensile test machines (on the history page: 100 Days of RX - # 42)
Early on our little team played Hearts together at work and took turns hosting poker parties which also, of course, featured the appropriate movies. Talk about the banjo began about 5 years in I think. After that it was banjo all the time.
Don was always low key - a critical team component among a bunch of hard chargers.
Our little thermal property group had great fun in the early 60 and I think we really made a mark in that tech community and the AF.
The very important ML contributions in ballistic missile thermal protection systems, space optics and the entire ML heritage of laser hardening and missile defense had their birth in Don´s little thermal laboratory.
My fondest remembrances of ML are from that period in the early 60s. Don is a very special part of these memories - he was always a dear friend.

Robert Reed

October 8, 2021

We offer our prayers and sympathy to Connie and the Stevison family. RIP Don

Charyl Castillo

October 7, 2021

Connie,

David and I were saddened to learn of Don's passing. We always enjoyed the conversations we shared with him at the class dinners that we attended so many years ago. May sweet memories of him comfort you during this difficult time. Peace, love and prayers to you and your family.