William Renny Harding Jr.

William Renny Harding Jr. February 17, 1927 - June 3, 2010 William Renny Harding, Jr. was a magician, inventor, scientist, engineer, religious scholar, science fiction fan since the late 1930s, collector, and bona-fide local character. He passed away peacefully early June 3, 2010. at the Mount Nittany Medical Center after a brief illness. He was born Feb. 17, 1927, in Shadyside Hospital, Pittsburgh to William R. Harding Sr. and Marion Niece Harding. He graduated in 1943 from Franklin Regional High School, Murrysville. He served in the US Navy from 1944 to 1946 as an Electronics Technician aboard the destroyer USS Compton in the Pacific Theater. He was a graduate of the Navy Radar Material School, one of the most intellectually challenging training programs in the Navy. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 1949 with a BS in Chemistry. He was awarded the prestigious Benjamin G. Lamme/Westinghouse Electric Corporation Graduate Fellowship. He studied at the University of Bristol in Bristol, England under Nobel Laureate Sir Nevill Francis Mott. He earned an Advanced Certificate in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. His formal education may have ended then, but he was an avid reader and studied many diverse fields on his own for the rest of his life. He worked for the Westinghouse Electric Corporation from 1950 to 1967 as an Engineer, Research Engineer, and a Supervising Engineer. His work included Solid State Physics, crystal growth, photographic processes, semi-conductors, and solar cell development including radiation-resistant cells for NASA orbital missions. He moved his family to State College in 1967 to continue his work with synthetic materials at Tem-Pres Research/Carborundum. In 1973, he cofounded Electro-logic Fabricators, Inc. where he was Chief Engineer for the prototype development and consulting firm, specializing in digital logic design, computer interfacing, and instrumentation. He finished his career as Foreman/Engineer at A. R. Vetter Co., Rebersburg. During his long career as an engineer, he was awarded 14 patents for his inventions while at Westinghouse and Carborundum. He was a long-time/former member of the Nittany Sunrise Kiwanis Club, the State College Elks Country Club, and The University Club. He was an amateur magician who performed in the area and invented/perfected magic tricks that are still sold today. He was a member and former officer of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and the Society of American Magicians. He was a "Resident Magician" at the East Coast Magic Store. In 2003, he was inducted into The Magic Circle of The Centre for the Magic Arts in London, England for his contributions to the field of performing magic. He was a member of St. Alban's Anglican Church in Pine Grove Mills. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Amelia Peugeot Streif Harding (formerly of Elma, N.Y.), of State College; his three daughters, Catherine P. Harding, of Olympia, Wash.; Penny L. Dorneman and her husband, Stephen, of Boston, Mass.; and Sarah G. Harding, of State College; and one grandson, James R. Harding-Parry, of State College. He was predeceased by his son William R. Harding, III who died in 1990, and a brother, Samuel Thomas Harding, of Golden, Colo., who died in 1989, and two grandchildren, Jenna Marie Harding and Clifford Joseph Rodack. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. on Sunday, June 6, 2010, at Koch Funeral Home, 2401 S. Atherton St., State College. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 7, 2010, at St. Albans Anglican Church, Pine Grove Mills, with The Right Rev. Council Nedd II, Ph.D., Bishop Ordinary, officiating. Donations may be sent to Strawberry Fields, Inc. 3054 Enterprise Dr., State College, PA 16801 or St. Alban's Anglican Church, 146 Pine Grove Road, Pine Grove Mills, PA 16868.