and grandfather, died at Keystone Place at Buzzards Bay on Friday, Oct. 12th just eight days after
his wife of 56 years, Dorothy A. (Harvey) Carpenter.
Born on Sept. 19, 1934 in New Castle, IN, and raised in Anderson, IN, Stanley was the son of the
late Harold and Elsie (Zerr) Carpenter. As a boy, Stanley had a passion for trains and cars and
figuring out how things worked. He was an enthusiastic learner throughout his entire life.
As a boy, Stanley also began his lifelong love and connection to music. He sang with his sister at
their church and in his high school glee club. He taught himself how to play guitar and banjo
and looked forward to listening to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday nights. Stanley could hear
music in everything. For example, while driving with his daughters in the car, Stanley would rev
the engine and shift the gears in such a way that the car would “sing bass” to the song they were
listening to.
Stanley’s mother, a second grade teacher, helped to shape his love of learning and to teach the
value of an education. His father taught him the pride of hard work and a job well done.
Stanley would speak lovingly of his summers spent with his dear sister Marcella on their Aunt
Rinny’s farm. One of the most profound relationships of Stanley’s life was with his grandfather,
the Rev. E.M. Zerr. Despite developing a belief system different than his grandfather’s, Stanley
was profoundly influenced by his wisdom and pursuit of truth.
In 1956, Stanley graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute with a BA in Electrical Engineering. As
an undergraduate, he was awarded membership to Tau Beta Pi, the most rigorous academic
honor society in engineering. In order for Stanley to afford the $600 a year tuition, Elsie would
contribute almost her entire annual teacher’s salary.
Stanley then went on to study physics at MIT and would work as a research engineer in the MIT
Instrumentation Lab from 1961-1970. It was also during these years that he earned his MA and
Ph.D. in Philosophy of Science and Technology from Boston University. After Boston, he taught
at Texas A&M for three years.
Stanley then moved to The Georgia Institute of Technology where he served as a professor of
philosophy of science for 25 years, there he was awarded the E. Roe Stamps Award for
Excellence in Teaching. Stanley was also a founding member of, and served as secretary to, The
Society for Philosophy and Technology. He spoke at many of the society’s international
conferences. Stanley was also a true pioneer in the promotion and development of sustainable
technology, co-authoring several books on this topic. Stanley retired in 2000 and moved with
Dorothy to Cataumet MA.
Stanley met the love of his life Dorothy Anne Harvey at the Collegiate Club at Park St. Church in
Boston, MA. They married in September of 1962. Daughters Annette Dorothea (Nettie) arrived
in 1966 and Julia Elizabeth (Julie) in 1968. Stanley was utterly devoted to “Dottie” and his girls.
He would go on to have true love and affection for both of his sons-in-law, Michael Todd
Wawerna and Matthew Zehe, and was completely overtaken with love for his four
grandchildren Isabel, Asher, Owen and Ava. He took unending pleasure in watching them grow.
He loved sharing with them his love of music and enthusiasm for learning. He also loved
learning from them. He took true delight in hearing about all of their interests and passions. He
had particular fun and was always open to trying out their new technology.
The common threads that wove so beautifully throughout Stanley’s life were his profound love
of music and science. From playing folk music with his beloved group Folk Baroque, to his
performances at his daughters’ birthday parties, to his later years as a member of both the
Falmouth Coralle and the Falmouth Unitarian Fellowship Choir, he was always at his most joyful
when he was singing. A week before his death, Stanley spoke movingly to his daughters about
his belief in science. This was not, he said, because science held all answers, but because,
through the scientific method, self-correction became the key to uncovering truth. He
admitted, though, that for all his pragmatism and logic, he had no explanation for his belief in
the transcendent divinity of music.
Stanley is survived by daughter, Annette Carpenter Wawerna and her husband, Michael Todd
Wawerna of Atlanta, GA; daughter, Julia Elizabeth Carpenter and her husband, Matthew
Richard Zehe of Ft. Collins, CO; grandchildren James Asher Wawerna, Dorothy Ava Wawerna,
Isabel Kathryn Carpenter-Zehe, and Owen Matthew Carpenter-Zehe; and his nieces and
nephews and their families: Grant Graffin, Gregory Graffin, Pam McQuaid, Jennifer Bourque,
Jack Harvey and Paul Harvey. He is also survived by his brother-in-laws, John A. Harvey and his
wife, Ellen G. of Hingham and Paul W. Harvey of New York, NY. He was the brother of the late
Marcella Graffin.
A Memorial Service will be held at United Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth, 840 Sandwich
Rd, East Falmouth, on Friday, October 19th at 1:00 PM. In lieu of flowers donations in memory
of Stanley may be made to Union of Concerned Scientists www.ucsusa.org/memorial.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18