William R. Powers

William Richards Powers, a resident of Heron Point in Chestertown, Maryland, passed away on Sunday, March 25, at the age of 83. Mr. Powers was born on August 9, 1923 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, the son of Frank Ethylwulf Powers and Loraine Elizabeth Richards Powers. The family was involved in the coal mining industry and he spent time as a child living in Pottsville and in Bluefield, West Virginia. He attended Pottsville High School from 1938 to 1939 and then enrolled at Greenbriar Military School in Greenville, Virginia, graduating in 1941. Mr. Powers then entered the University of Michigan, graduating in 1944 with a B.S. degree in Engineering. After graduation he was drafted into the United States Army, serving as a Tech Specialist 3 in the Philippines. There he participated in the liberation of the islands from the Japanese, in the process befriending several Americans whose business interests had been seized during the occupation. They remained friends and visited regularly for years after. Mr. Powers was honorably discharged from the Army in 1946 and joined E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company as a chemical engineer at Burnside Labs in Carney’s Point, New Jersey. He left DuPont in 1952 and joined the Scott Paper Company. There he and several colleagues developed a process for the mass production of polyurethane foam. Scott utilized this technology to open a foam products division in Chester, Pennsylvania, with Mr. Powers serving as General Manager. He was named Vice President several years later. In 1967 Mr. Powers left Scott and was a principal in the acquisition of Specialty Composites Corporation, in Braintree, Massachusetts. They relocated the company to Newark, Delaware and he served as CEO and President until his retirement in 1988. Throughout his career Mr. Powers maintained a connection to the coal mining industry, serving on the Boards of Directors of several companies held by the Ashland Coal and Coke Company in Pennsylvania. Mr. Powers was an avid hiker, bicyclist, canoeist, and boater. He was a member of the Wilmington Trail Club and a regular participant in club activities. He became a sailor in retirement and enjoyed sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. In an uncharacteristic concession to age, he eventually retired from sailing and purchased a 41-foot trawler that he named “Will Power.” He spent many happy hours on the boat and enjoyed several winter trips to Florida on the Intracoastal Waterway. His interest in boating led to membership in the U.S. Power Squadron and volunteering with the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation. Mr. Powers is survived by his wife Nancy (nee: Moore) Ewing Powers of Chestertown; three children: Mike (Jacquie) Powers of Ithaca, NY, Carol (Greg) Weitzenkorn of Pottstown, PA, and Stephen Powers of Carney’s Point, NJ; three stepchildren: Robert (Lynn) Ewing of Media, PA, Patricia (Gary) Durand of Owings, MD, and Robyn Ewing of Los Angeles, CA; sister-in-law Betty Powers of Henderson, NV; 11 grandchildren, several cousins, and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother James Powers and sister Patricia McCosker. Services will be held at a later date to be announced.

William R. Powers

March 25, 2007