William David Smith Jr. ’56

Dave Smith died of cancer at his home in Kennett Square, Pa., on Feb. 9, 2001. At Princeton he majored in chemical engineering, won his varsity letter in ice hockey, and was a member of Tiger Inn.

Following graduation, Dave continued his studies in chemical engineering, was a Fulbright Scholar at the U. of Sydney, Australia, in 1961, and earned his D. Eng. degree from Yale in 1963. From 1960­80 he was on the faculty of the U. of Rochester. Dave then joined DuPont, where he specialized in process control, a field in which he made numerous outstanding contributions and for which he received worldwide recognition.

Dave held an appointment as visiting professor at Imperial College in London, and also worked with a group of European colleagues on a world initiative for engineering software standards. He retired from DuPont in 1999.

Dave is survived by his wife, Roberta Yarker Smith, his two sons, David F. and Daniel W., his two grandchildren, Jessica Crenshaw and Jacob D., a sister, Doris Stoner, three stepchildren, Patrick Yarker, Anne Vaughan, and Thomas Yarker, six step-grandchildren, and his former wife, Suzanne Kline Collins. The class extends its sympathy to all those who mourn his death.

The Class of 1956