Joseph H. Wally Jr.

Joseph H. Wally, Jr., better known as Jack, died July 13, 2006 at home, being 93 years old. In a detailed written request he expressed the wish that there be no funeral or flowers. The family wishes to thank the wonderful caregivers of Kansas City Hospice requests that any donations be made to Kansas City Hospice in his name. He also asked for cremation and disposition in a specified location at a later date. Jack was born in Kansas City on June 29, 1913. After graduating from the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia, he became a press photographer for the Los Angeles Examiner. In 1938 he returned to Kansas City to become the chief photographer of the Kansas City Journal-Post and handled occasional assignments for LIFE Magazine. His father, Joe Wally, owned Western Blue Print Co. and prevailed on Jack to work for him "for a short time". His tenure at Western Blue Print turned out to last for years. Jack bought the company and ultimately sold it to his three sons. While at Western Blue Print, Jack started designing and selling huge industrial cameras to solve the needs of the reprographic industry. Many of these were purchased well beyond the blue print industry by companies such as General Motors, Ford Motor Co., Boeing, Lockheed Martin and every major company in the petroleum industry, as well as the military services. Those successes were surprising as Jack had no background in engineering, although he held over 40 U.S. and foreign patents. In 1978, Jack began to apply his optical technology to the Graphic Arts industry by designing a step-and-repeat camera, which, for the first time, made onepiece film "flats" for printing books, magazines, canned food labels and other similar items printed on large lithographic presses in color. These cameras, sold under the Opti-Copy trademark, saturated the printing industry in the U.S. and Canada and were widely used in Europe, Australia and Japan. Most of the national magazines in all of those areas employed Opti-Copy devices. Over 2,000 of these units were assembled in a new plant at 110th and Lackman Road in Lenexa which was visited by printers from all over the world. Forty of the largest publishers in Japan flew to Kansas City as a group to witness a demonstration at the Opti-Copy facility. He also had a great sense of humor, loved life and was a great Dad to his three sons. Jack was preceded in death by his parents Joseph and Edna Wally. Survivors include two sons in the Kansas City area, Joseph H. Wally III and J. Christopher Wally, daughter-in-law Susan Wally, and Dr. John W. Wally, MD, who lives in Sedona, Arizona, a sister, Mrs. John Dienner, Jr., of Bethesda, Maryland, two grandchildren, two greatgrandchildren and several nieces and nephews. (Arrangements: D.W. Newcomer's Sons Overland Park Chapel, 8201 Metcalf, Overland Park, KS, 913-648-6224). Online Guest Book at www.dwnewcomers.com