William Richards Powers, 83

CHESTERTOWN, Md. - William Richards Powers of Heron Point, Chestertown, passed away Sunday, March 25, 2007, in Chestertown. He was 83.

Mr. Powers was born Aug. 9, 1923, in Pottsville, Pa., son of Frank Ethylwulf and Loraine Elizabeth (Richards) Powers.

The family was involved in the coal mining industry and he spent time as a child living in Pottsville and in Bluefield, W.Va.

Mr. Powers attended Pottsville High School from 1938 to 1939 and then enrolled in Greenbriar Military School in Greenville, Va., graduating in 1941.

He then entered the University of Michigan, graduating in 1944 with a bachelor's degree in engineering. After graduation he was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving as a Tech Specialist 3 in the Philippines. There he participated in the liberation of the islands from the Japanese, in the process befriending several Americans whose business interests had been seized during the occupation. They remained friends and visited regularly for years after.

Mr. Powers was honorably discharged from the Army in 1946 and joined E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co. as a chemical engineer at Burnside Labs in Carney's Point, N.J. He left DuPont in 1952 and joined the Scott Paper Co. There he and several colleagues developed a process for the mass production of polyurethane foam. Scott utilized this technology to open a foam products division in Chester, Pa., with Mr. Powers serving as general manager. He was named vice president several years later.

In 1967, he left Scott and was a principal in the acquisition of Specialty Composites Corp., in Braintree, Mass. They relocated the company to Newark, Del., and he served as CEO and president until his retirement in 1988. Throughout his career, he maintained a connection to the coal mining industry, serving on the boards of directors of several companies held by the Ashland Coal and Coke Co. in Pennsylvania.

Mr. Powers was an avid hiker, bicyclist, canoeist and boater. He was a member of the Wilmington Trail Club and a regular participant in club activities. He became a sailor in retirement and enjoyed sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. In an uncharacteristic concession to age, he eventually retired from sailing and purchased a 41-foot trawler that he named "Will Power." He spent many happy hours on the boat and enjoyed several winter trips to Florida on the Intracoastal Waterway. His interest in boating led to membership in the U.S. Power Squadron and volunteering with the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, James Powers; and a sister, Patricia McCosker.

He is survived by his wife Nancy (Moore) Ewing Powers; three children and their spouses, Mike and Jacquie Powers of Ithaca, N.Y., Carol and Greg Weitzenkorn of Pottstown and Stephen Powers of Carney's Point; three stepchildren and their spouses, Robert and Lynn Ewing of Media, Pa., Patricia and Gary Durand of Owings Mills and Robyn Ewing of Los Angeles; a sister-in-law, Betty Powers of Henderson, Nev.; 11 grandchildren; several cousins; and several nieces and nephews.

Services will be at a later date.

Arrangements by Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, Chestertown.