[Iefac.list] Richard Ward, RIP

[McGinnis, Leon F]

Many on this list knew Dick Ward and might appreciate this obit.


Richard Elwood Ward (79)

January 19, 1942 - February 23, 2021



Dr. Richard Elwood Ward passed away on February 23, 2021. Dick touched all who knew him with his wit, generosity, and kindness. He was born in Easton, Pennsylvania on January 19,1942. Dick graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Engineering in 1964.  He worked at the Dixie Cup Factory in Easton, PA and at the NY Transit Authority, then continued his studies at West Virginia University, earning his MS and then his PhD in Industrial Engineering in 1975. His dissertation focused on “Development of a Digital Simulation Model for Fleet Utilization Studies in a Personal Rapid Transit System with Experiments on Empty Vehicle Management.” The PRT was built as a model light rail system in Morgantown in 1975.



Dick then spent a year at the University of Leeds, where he worked on computer models for scheduling drivers in the public bus system. He returned to WVU as a professor in 1976 and taught in the Engineering Department for ten more years. He served for many years on the College Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE) and joined the Material Handling Industry of America as Vice President of Education in 1986. At MHIA, Dick organized the forums at ProMat and the North American Material Handling & Logistics Show, along with regional meetings and symposia. He worked with three others to create and annually support the International Material Handling Research Colloquium to provide a forum for sharing advanced material handling academic work with industry members of MHIA. He led the industry group on Automated Storage / Retrieval Systems and authored several books, including The Essentials of Material Handling: An Introduction to Equipment, Management and Systems and Fundamentals of Inventory Management and Control.



Dick was a natural educator with a deep knowledge of and interest in his field. He loved his work and he particularly enjoyed meeting and learning from people all over the world. In 2006, he retired from MHIA to enjoy new adventures with his wife Diane on their hobby farm in Montana. He continued teaching as a popular substitute in the local schools, served on the board of the Alpine Theatre Project, and was much beloved by his community and family, including his three children and nine grandchildren.



Donations in his memory can be made to The WVU Statler College of Engineering Scholarship Fund<https://secure.give.wvu.edu/give> (Fund ID 2S098 for unrestricted graduate support in honor of Dr. Richard Ward)



Leon F. McGinnis

Professor Emeritus

Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering

Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA 30332-0205

leon.mcginnis at gatech.edu

https://factory.isye.gatech.edu/

404-894-2312
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