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Richard Wallace Obituary

Richard A. "Dick" Wallace, a 56 year resident of Audubon, died May 9. He was 90. He was preceded in death by his parents, Voyle Oscar and Ruth Ellen (Leatherman) Wallace, his daughter Cynthia Ellen Wallace, and his brothers Ralph E. and Robert O. Wallace. He is survived by his wife Lois M. "Bonnie" (Van Buren) Wallace, his daughters Holly (Paul) Springle and Ann Wallace, his son David (Barbara) Wallace, their mother, Elizabeth deKeyser, his grandchildren Lee and Kyle Wallace and Alison and Benjamin Springle, his stepchildren, Eileen , Jay, John , and Rose, and 26 nieces and nephews. Mr. Wallace was born in Hagerstown, Md. on September 6, 1922. While majoring in mechanical engineering at Purdue University, he enlisted in the Navy in December 1942. After graduation he was commissioned Lt. j.g. and served aboard the USS Sederstrom, a destroyer escort. At the conclusion of WWII, he completed his active service on mainland China, during which time he had his portrait painted by Constantine Kluge. Upon his return to the United States, he enrolled in Cal Tech and earned his professional degree in industrial design. He worked for Fairchild Aircraft in Hagerstown before getting a job at the Franklin Institute. There, in 1951, he designed and built a maze solver which demonstrated how a machine could "learn" by making binary choices. He later worked for Burroughs, RCA, and Bridge Corporation before establishing his own consulting firm. He designed and built for a number of clients, including two experiments for the space shuttle. His lifelong interest in education included judging for the Bishop Kenrick science fair and teaching college classes. There will be a graveside service at Washington Memorial Chapel cemetery in Valley Forge on May 25 at 11am. The family requests contributions be made to a charity of the donor's choice.

Published by The Times Herald from May 20 to May 21, 2013.
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