Dr. Henry Collins Graham, 85, of Beavercreek, OH, passed away on July 2, 2020. He was born to parents Howard and Freda Weller Graham, on August 16, 1934 in Pittsburgh, PA. The family relocated to Mayville, NY and Henry graduated from Mayville Central Schools with the class of 1952.
Henry attended Alfred University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Ceramic Engineering in 1956, followed by the Master of Science Degree in 1958. At Alfred, he was a member of the Blue Key National Honor Fraternity and a member of Keramos National Professional Ceramic Engineering Fraternity. He was a Varsity wrestler and the treasurer of his fraternity, Kappa Psi Upsilon. While at Alfred, Henry began his service with the Army of the United States, ending as a Reserve Commissioned Officer, First Lieutenant.
He earned a Doctorate degree in Ceramic Engineering from the Ohio State University in 1965. His doctoral dissertation was entitled “Particle Size Dependence of the Electrical Conductivity of NaCl.” He belonged to the Ohio State Chapter of the Society of the Sigma Xi.
Henry worked as a civilian Materials Research Engineer at Wright Patterson Air Force Base for 36 years. He spent much of his career leading teams of scientists at the Aerospace Research Laboratory. He was an internationally recognized expert in the field of oxidation/hot-corrosion. He is credited with performing pioneering research in the field of carbon and ceramic composites. Additionally, he is credited with research concerning ceramic components of gas turbine engines that significantly impacted both the US Air Force and NASA. In the course of his research, he had over 35 scientific articles published and presented at many professional symposia. He retired from the Air Force Systems Command as a General Manager, GM15.
In addition to multiple awards from the Air Force, Henry was recognized by the Dayton Engineers. He received a Special Act of Service Award in 1968, the Outstanding Dayton Engineer Award in 1974, and the Dayton Outstanding Performance Award in 1975. He belonged to the American Ceramic Society and was elected a fellow in 1979. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the Ohio State University College of Engineering. He was later recognized for his advisory service to the OSU Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
Henry enjoyed painting as a hobby and, after retirement, turned his creative efforts to woodworking. He designed and made hundreds of pieces of furniture, much to the delight of his family and a few lucky friends.
Henry was a role model for his children and grandchildren alike. He felt that it is important to contribute to making the world a better place and he believed that respecting others is one of the most important traits a person can possess. One way he demonstrated this was by serving the Dayton Mediation Center, where he was named Volunteer of the Year. He loved to discuss current events with his family and friends and that was often a time where he shared his extremely sharp wit and dry sense of humor. He was an important influence on his family and he will be greatly missed.
Henry is survived by daughters Laura Graham, Susan Parker and Ann (Ted) Meyer, grandchildren Paul (Nicole) Taylor, Doug Taylor, Kristina (Robert) Call, Allison (Tas) Parker-Lagoo, Laura (Jon) Parker-Mason, Leslie Grube, Rachel Meyer, Susan Meyer, and Katherine Meyer, nine great-grandchildren, and former wife Mary Lou Graham.
He was preceded in death by his parents, siblings and their spouses Howard Graham, Sally (Ed) Ernst, Jean (Charles) Kelsey and Nancy (Keith) Ross, infant daughter Barbara Anne Graham, and wife Barbara Mitchell.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton.
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