The Passing of an Era
William
G. Baird
Passed
away on Wednesday, November 3, 2004 at approximately 10:30 a.m. at Spartanburg
Regional Medical Center. Bill was 86 years of age. Bill slipped gently away
with his wife, Anne, by his side. Details on Bill's funeral will be posted later.
Tentatively, it is expected to be held at Floyd's Greenlawn Chapel on Saturday
November 6th at approximately 3 p.m.
Bill was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Bill worked with his friend, Brad Dewey Jr., during World War II. He was an explosive expert for the Army designing special detonators for the bombs dropped in both theaters of the war. Brad Jr. saw the innovative spirit in Bill and brought him to his father's company, Dewey and Almy, on a process that became CRYOVAC.
Bill began to develop the innovations that made Cryovac the company it became
under Dewy and Almy then W.R. Grace and now Sealed Air Corporation. In fact
if one man could be assigned the title, Bill Baird should surely be called,
"The Father of Cryovac".
Among the many many innovations Bill made to the Cryovac process was the use of electron beams to crosslink polyethylene for shrink packaging. In 1956, Bill began the use of 1 Million Volt electron beams on their shrink processes for Cryovac. Today Cryovac is a world leader in shrink packaging because of the genius of Bill Baird.
In
1999 Bill received the Gunderson Award from the International Registry of Radiation
Safety Officers (IRRSO) for his contributions in Radiation Processing and Radiation
Safety.
Bill was a friend to all who knew him. He was also a mentor to many who worked for him. He will be missed and remembered both professionally and personally by all of us who benefited from his work and his life. "Go with God, friend." …………
Anyone who wishes to add a story about Bill to this memorial should email me sfowler@sfowler.com
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