Roger Powell

POWELL, Roger W. Age 74, passed from this earth on April 11, 2012. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 46 years, Barbara, his son Richard Lee, his father, William, and his mother, Theodate. Roger was born in Cleveland, OH, on July 15, 1937. He grew up in Dayton, OH, and graduated from Fairview High. He received his degree in chemical engineering at Case Institute of Technology now CWRU in 1959. While at Case, he founded and was an officer of a social fraternity chapter, Epsilon Xi of Pi Kappa Alpha, played varsity basketball, was a member of Alpha Chi Sigma, an honorary chemical fraternity, and founded a campus-wide laundry service to help pay the bills. After graduation, Powell worked for General Tire and was luckily placed in the division developing the production of one-shot urethane foam. He and a companion became the on-floor developers of slabstock and molded foams to high-speed production products. He then became Plant Manager for American Rubber in LaPorte, IN. During this time he attended the University of Chicago in the quest of an MBA. In 1965, he decided to return full-time to that pursuit and received his MBA from Xavier University in June 1965. He went to work for E.R. Carpenter Co, Richmond VA, which was the largest producer of foams. In 1965 he was delegated the role as manager for developing all phases from design to operation of a new facility in Temple, TX where he would eventually become Technical Manager. After several expansions he was appointed to the development of all phases of the new giant facility in Russellville, KY where he was Plant Manager. This plant was the largest in the state of Kentucky under one roof until Toyota was built in the late 80''s. During his stay in Russellville he was given the job of building and outfitting plants in California and North Carolina. In 1973, he was asked to change fields and to develop a chemical process and build a chemical facility on 71 acres in Bayport, TX. This was an entirely new endeavor which has since expanded into one of the largest polyether polyol production facilities in the world. When he retired in 1993, the complex was renamed "The Roger W. Powell Plant" which he considered his highest honor and a reward for his years of work. Roger and Barbara found their retirement home in Brenham, TX after looking all around central Texas for three years. They enjoyed the slower pace of their retirement lives plus the added time with each other. He is survived by daughters Lynn Bill Crane, Kim Reynolds, and Kellie Powell as well as grandsons, Kevin, Brian, Nicholas, and granddaughter Amber, his sisters Donna Jack Shirley and Peggy Mark Thaman and numerous friends. The family will receive friends at 1:00pm, Saturday, April 14, 2012 at Memorial Oaks Chapel in Brenham, TX with gravesite services following at 2 p.m. at Prairie Lea Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Roger''s name to Boys and Girls Club of Washington County or Hospice Brazos Valley. Funeral arrangements for Roger W. Powell are entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 W. Main, Brenham. To post a tribute to the family, visit www.memorialoakschapel.com.