Dr. William Francis Bennett

Dr. William Francis Bennett of Chestertown, MD died on November 24, 2014. He was 87. Born on January 25, 1927 in Frederick, MD, he was the son of the late William Shepard Bennett and Viola Allen Bennett. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Chestertown, MD, and Dr. Bennett attended Chestertown Elementary and Chestertown High School. After graduation from high school, he attended Washington College until May 1945. He entered the Army Air Corps Reserve and served until December 1946. Later, he completed the requirements of Washington College by attending Western Maryland College during the summer of 1949. He married Elizabeth S. Beaver, a local lass, on October 15, 1949. In January 1950, he began attending Ohio State University, where he earned a Masters and Ph. D. degrees while working on USAF contracts at the Laboratory of Aviation Psychology. Dr. Bennett joined the American Institute for Research (AIR) in 1955 and was assigned to their office at the Air Force Special Weapons Center in Albuquerque, NM. He was responsible for studies involving the ability of pilots to perform certain tactical maneuvers and the design of equipment for handling atomic weapons. He also conducted a study to increase the speed and enhance the safety of loading atomic weapons into bomber aircraft. His daughter, Karen E. Bennett was born on December 15, 1957, and the family moved to Seattle, WA, where Dr. Bennett worked on a consulting contract with Boeing, Douglas and Chance Vought Aircraft Companies regarding a man’s capabilities to perform tasks during space flight, the design of space capsules, countdown procedures and man’s capabilities for handling remote equipment operations. The family later moved to Santa Barbara, CA, and Dr. Bennett served as Director of AIR’s relocated office. In 1959, Dr. Bennett accepted a job with IBM and moved to Bethesda, MD. He participated in the design and implementation of the first large-scale Management Information System which was for Headquarters, USAF. He became responsible for IBM’s contracts regarding USAF’s ground-based command and control systems. In 1970, he was a member of a small group responsible for providing Custom Contract Services, a precursor to IBM’s currently significant Services Division, and, in 1972, joined IBM’s Litigation Group involved in the US vs. IBM anti-trust case. His responsibilities included educating IBM’s outside lawyer team regarding IBM and the computer industry, directing discovery efforts, participating in depositions, and responding to attorney requests for specific information. Dr. Bennett and his family moved to Scarborough, NY in 1980, and he became involved in IBM’s initial efforts in the remarketing arena, another significant IBM endeavor. He rejoined IBM’s Litigation Department in 1986 and was responsible for all of IBM’s anti-trust cases involving personal computers. Dr. Bennett retired from IBM in January 1989 and became an independent consultant to NY law firms engaged in anti-trust cases. He moved back to Chestertown in 1990, but continued to commute to New York City until finally retiring in 1992. Dr. Bennett has taught undergraduate psychology classes, been a regular lecturer at IBM’s Customer Executive classes, produced numerous major publications and presented papers to various groups including the American Psychological Associations, Operations Research Society, IEEE, Northeastern School Board Association, the Air War College, and the American Medical Association. He has been a member of several national organizations, including Sigma Xi and Psi Chi. He is survived by his loving daughter, Karen E. Bennett; a niece, Shelly Smith and her husband, Richard; great grand niece, Lindsay Blume and her husband, Daniel; great great grand niece Mya Blume; a niece, Tracy Smith and her husband, Brad; nephews, Jayson and Christopher Smith and Michael K. Beaver; and many other loving nieces and nephews. His family remembers him as a kind, funny and loving man. They will miss him terribly. A funeral service will be held at 11 am on Monday, December 1 at the Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home, P.A., 130 Speer Road, Chestertown, MD 21620, where friends and family may visit on Sunday, November 30 from 3-6 pm. Burial will follow the service at Still Pond Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be sent to the Kent Center, 215 Scheeler Rd., Chestertown, MD 21620, or the Pradar-Willi Syndrome Association, 8588 Potter Park Drive, Sarasota, FL 34238. For online condolences, please visit www.fhnfuneralhome.com.

Dr. William Francis Bennett

January 25, 1927 - November 24, 2014