Walter Bernard of Williamstown died on October 4th. He was born in Manchester, NH, on Dec. 25, 1923; he and his wife Claire moved to Williamstown in 1954.
He served for three years in the U.S. Army Infantry in World War II, a year and a half of that time with the rank of sergeant in ground combat in France and then with occupation forces in Germany and Austria. His decorations included the Combat Infantry Badge and the Bronze Star Medal.
The G.I. Bill of Rights enabled him to attend the University of New Hampshire, where he received a B.S. and M.S. in Chemistry, followed by a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1953 he was the recipient of a National Science Foundation Fellowship; in 1973 the University of New Hampshire honored him with an Outstanding Achievement Award.
His career as a research scientist was spent with the Sprague Electric Company of North Adams, where he was the author of twenty-one scientific papers and the holder of twenty-five patents. He was Director of Research and later a consultant for Sprague; after his retirement he also served as a consultant for several other companies within the electronics industry.
He leaves his wife of 68 years, the former Claire Laflamme of Manchester, NH. He also leaves four children and four grandchildren: Jonathan Bernard, Professor of Music Theory at the University of Washington in Seattle (and his daughter, Nina Bernard); Lisa Bernard, insurance agent at Mountain One in North Adams (and her husband Daniel Campbell, chef-owner of Hobson's Choice, and their son, Jack Campbell); April Bernard, writer and Professor of English at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY (and her son, Henry Robinson); and Joel Bernard, senior partner and CFO of ICM Architects in Pittsburgh, PA (and his wife, Mia Bernard, a business consultant, and their daughter Alexandra Bernard).Flynn & Dagnoli Funeral Home - CENTRAL CHAPEL 74 Marshall St. North Adams, MA 01247 is entrusted with arrangements.
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