Obituary for Daniel Lawrence Babcock
Dr. Daniel L. Babcock passed away gently on November 11 at the Arbor Terrace Sudley Manor Assisted Living Facility in Manassas, Virginia (not Covid-19 related). Dan was born in Philadelphia and lived a vibrant family life, a long engineering career and professorship in Rolla, Missouri, and traveled widely. Dan will be remembered as a loving father and husband, caretaker, philanthropist and educator.
Dan is survived by two daughters, Dr. Jean Brielle Babcock of St. Louis, Missouri; and Bethany Babcock Richard and husband, Col. Dana Richard, USAF with three grandchildren, Lex, Athena, and D’Art, of Nokesville, VA; and his son Dr. J.D. Sterling Babcock and wife Dr. Marcia Babcock of Longmont, CO. Dan was the son of Lawrence M. Babcock and Ethel May Snider Babcock in Philadelphia PA. Dan is predeceased by his brother Richard, as well his first wife, Anne O. Babcock (d. 2009, Longmont CO).
Family Life
Dan, Anne and their three children spent their summers traveling the 48 continental United States in a motorhome giving the entire family an appreciation for this great country. All three of their children became engineers. Dan’s love of aerospace engineering inspired the entire family to enjoy the possibilities of space travel, everyone is an avid reader of science fiction and the possibilities afforded us by technology. Dan was active in the Rolla community, doing volunteer work with seniors, the American Red Cross, and was an active supporter of the Missouri and National Democratic Party USA. Dan was a philanthropist and a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association and active in the Rolla organization for most of his life.
As life often changes, Dan later married Bettie J. Veazey Babcock (d. 1992, Rolla MO) with whom he will be interred at Rolla Cemetery, in Missouri. Dan became part of the Veazey family with stepchildren Edward Veazey, James Veazey, and Katherine Veazey Wagner. Dan played a big part in the Veazey family, and especially Katherine, as she was just 21 at the time. Dan and Bettie enjoyed traveling and socializing; and cared deeply for each other especially when Bettie became ill; Katherine was grateful for Dan’s loving attention to Bettie. Dan considered himself a grandfather to Katherine’s children Michael and Elizabeth (or, as they called him, "Neida"); Dan sent cool gifts, read books, and had very 'adult' conversations when they were small. Dan treasured his connection with Elizabeth and looked forward to her five-page handwritten letters with great joy. Dan discussed science, rockets, and scouting with Michael, and was a treasure-trove of information.
Later, Daniel married his third wife Carol Fischer Skaggs Babcock (d. 2019, Rolla MO) with adult stepson Joshua Skaggs. Dan and Carol shared their retirement years together, and upon her death Daniel moved to Manassas VA to live closer to daughter Bethany and her family.
Career
Daniel L. Babcock began his career as a chemical engineer, earning a B.S. at Penn State and an S.M. at MIT. He served three years as a USAF officer in development testing, three years as a chemist and technical writer for a silicone chemical manufacturer, and three years in solid propellant rocket development on a U.S. government contract. Next, he spent seven years with North American Rockwell Corporation coordinating development of solid and liquid propellant rocket motors for the Apollo Command and Service Modules, with a leave to complete a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering Management at UCLA in 1970.
Dan accepted the position of Associate Professor (later Professor) of Engineering Management at the University of Missouri-Rolla (1970-1992). Dan wanted more in depth material for his classes, so he developed material from his experience in project management, quality assurance, and reliability engineering. From this he created a comprehensive text with Prentice-Hall titled: Managing Engineering and Technology: An introduction. He was sole author of the 1st (1991) and 2nd (1996) editions, and then retired from teaching to care for Bettie. Subsequent editions were published with a co-author and continue to be in use today. Dan was a founding member in creating the American Society of Engineering Management (A. S. E. M.)
Appreciation
During this time, family visits were restricted due to the pandemic, however Dan was not alone. The family would like to thank Care with Love for their compassionate personal care for Dan: Aracely, Sandrine, James, especially Debora, who brought him through the challenging times and a peaceful transition. We would also like to thank the entire staff of Arbor Terrace Sudley Manor Assisted Living Facility and in particular Rupi Dhaliwal for compassionate care and attention above and beyond the call of duty.
In lieu of flowers, Dan would appreciate a memorial donation in his name to one of his favorite charities. Please choose from this selected list: Southern Poverty Law Center (splcenter.org), DSCC (dscc.org), Unitarian Universalists of Rolla (rollaunitarians.org). Thank you.
Dan is survived by two daughters, Dr. Jean Brielle Babcock of St. Louis, Missouri; and Bethany Babcock Richard and husband, Col. Dana Richard, USAF with three grandchildren, Lex, Athena, and D’Art, of Nokesville, VA; and his son Dr. J.D. Sterling Babcock and wife Dr. Marcia Babcock of Longmont, CO. Dan was the son of Lawrence M. Babcock and Ethel May Snider Babcock in Philadelphia PA. Dan is predeceased by his brother Richard, as well his first wife, Anne O. Babcock (d. 2009, Longmont CO).
Family Life
Dan, Anne and their three children spent their summers traveling the 48 continental United States in a motorhome giving the entire family an appreciation for this great country. All three of their children became engineers. Dan’s love of aerospace engineering inspired the entire family to enjoy the possibilities of space travel, everyone is an avid reader of science fiction and the possibilities afforded us by technology. Dan was active in the Rolla community, doing volunteer work with seniors, the American Red Cross, and was an active supporter of the Missouri and National Democratic Party USA. Dan was a philanthropist and a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association and active in the Rolla organization for most of his life.
As life often changes, Dan later married Bettie J. Veazey Babcock (d. 1992, Rolla MO) with whom he will be interred at Rolla Cemetery, in Missouri. Dan became part of the Veazey family with stepchildren Edward Veazey, James Veazey, and Katherine Veazey Wagner. Dan played a big part in the Veazey family, and especially Katherine, as she was just 21 at the time. Dan and Bettie enjoyed traveling and socializing; and cared deeply for each other especially when Bettie became ill; Katherine was grateful for Dan’s loving attention to Bettie. Dan considered himself a grandfather to Katherine’s children Michael and Elizabeth (or, as they called him, "Neida"); Dan sent cool gifts, read books, and had very 'adult' conversations when they were small. Dan treasured his connection with Elizabeth and looked forward to her five-page handwritten letters with great joy. Dan discussed science, rockets, and scouting with Michael, and was a treasure-trove of information.
Later, Daniel married his third wife Carol Fischer Skaggs Babcock (d. 2019, Rolla MO) with adult stepson Joshua Skaggs. Dan and Carol shared their retirement years together, and upon her death Daniel moved to Manassas VA to live closer to daughter Bethany and her family.
Career
Daniel L. Babcock began his career as a chemical engineer, earning a B.S. at Penn State and an S.M. at MIT. He served three years as a USAF officer in development testing, three years as a chemist and technical writer for a silicone chemical manufacturer, and three years in solid propellant rocket development on a U.S. government contract. Next, he spent seven years with North American Rockwell Corporation coordinating development of solid and liquid propellant rocket motors for the Apollo Command and Service Modules, with a leave to complete a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering Management at UCLA in 1970.
Dan accepted the position of Associate Professor (later Professor) of Engineering Management at the University of Missouri-Rolla (1970-1992). Dan wanted more in depth material for his classes, so he developed material from his experience in project management, quality assurance, and reliability engineering. From this he created a comprehensive text with Prentice-Hall titled: Managing Engineering and Technology: An introduction. He was sole author of the 1st (1991) and 2nd (1996) editions, and then retired from teaching to care for Bettie. Subsequent editions were published with a co-author and continue to be in use today. Dan was a founding member in creating the American Society of Engineering Management (A. S. E. M.)
Appreciation
During this time, family visits were restricted due to the pandemic, however Dan was not alone. The family would like to thank Care with Love for their compassionate personal care for Dan: Aracely, Sandrine, James, especially Debora, who brought him through the challenging times and a peaceful transition. We would also like to thank the entire staff of Arbor Terrace Sudley Manor Assisted Living Facility and in particular Rupi Dhaliwal for compassionate care and attention above and beyond the call of duty.
In lieu of flowers, Dan would appreciate a memorial donation in his name to one of his favorite charities. Please choose from this selected list: Southern Poverty Law Center (splcenter.org), DSCC (dscc.org), Unitarian Universalists of Rolla (rollaunitarians.org). Thank you.