Desmond H. Bond's Obituary
Desmond Harvey Bond resided in Mobile, Alabama from 2005 until his death, at age 75, from natural causes, on February 13, 2017. He was an accomplished scholar, prolific writer, chemical engineer, and a specialist in engineering and environment. He conceived and designed a speciality burner required for effective environmental control, for which a US patent was awarded; many such units are now operating in the United States and other countries.As a freelance journalist, he published numerous articles under the name Desmond Harvey. His language skills were notable, including translations of foreign works into English. In 1967, while residing in England, he co-authored a translation of "Die Erde," a German work concerning medical data. In 1969 he was editor of the English translation of a Russian chemical journal. In 1976 he translated, from the Afrikaans language into English, the novella "Mahala" by the late Christian Barnard, prize-winning South African author. Desmond Bond was born October 2, 1941. His father Kenneth Harvey Bond and his mother Winifred Ruby Bacon Bond were of British birth. He was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa but grew up in Johannesburg where he attended King Edward VII School. A bright student, he showed a particularly keen interest in the study of Latin. He could sing beautifully and was selected for a role in the school production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera "The Pirates of Penzance." He was active in sports and was in the Hockey and Swimming Teams. In 1958 he passed matriculation in the First Class with a distinction in Mathematics.He obtained his B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering in 1966 at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, his M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering in 1972 at the University of Texas at Austin, and his M.A. in English in 1976 at the University of North Texas at Denton.In the 1970s and 1980s, Desmond Bond’s professional positions, in sequence, included Senior Engineer for Texas Instruments, Inc. of Dallas, Texas; Senior Process Engineer for Ford, Bacon and Davis, Inc. of Dallas, Texas; Process Design Manager for Applied Technology Corporation of Houston, Texas; and Director of Energy Technologies for Wheelabrator Cleanfuel Corporation of Washington, DC. From 1980 to 2003, he was President/CEO of his consulting firm, Desmond Bond, Inc. of Fairfax, Virginia; and, in addition, he was Associate Professor for Graduate Courses in Power Engineering technologies and equipment, their economics, and their environmental requirements at George Washington University of Washington, DC. From 1988 to 1993, he was Senior Manager—Technical for Central Energy Fund in Sandton, South Africa. From 1993 until a few years before his death, he was Principal Officer of Desmond Bond and Associates of Mobile, Alabama.He was a seasoned world traveler. During the course of his career as a specialist in engineering and environment he negotiated and managed projects in many countries including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Japan, Philippines, Poland, Germany, Russia, Holland, Belgium, United Kingdom, Canada, Venezuela, Mexico, and the United States.In his thirties, he developed into an enthusiastic scuba diver. While a resident of Houston, Texas, he became active in the US Masters Swimming organization and participated in numerous swimming events and competitions. Later, while residing in Virginia, he helped organize and was president of a Masters Swimming club. He swam competitively with Masters clubs until the late 1980s. Afterwards, he swam for recreation until 2007, when he was diagnosed as having a disabling neurological disorder, which resulted in a severe case of ataxia that would increasingly curtail his physical activities.He was a man of varied interests. His sense of humor was wry and profound. He had a razor sharp wit and equally sharp pen, turning a phrase handily, persuading, influencing readers. He loved music, especially classical music and, in particular, Handel’s "Messiah." He obtained a libretto and, often, as he listened to a recording of the majestic "Messiah" at Christmas time, he opened the libretto booklet and read silently along with the music. He also enjoyed country music, relishing the poignant, sometimes hilarious stories that country music tells. He kept on his desk a quotation from Norman Vincent Peale which reveals much about how Desmond lived his life: “The way to happiness: keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little. Fill your life with love. Scatter sunshine. Forget self, think of others. Do as you would be done by. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.”He is survived and mourned by his devoted wife of nearly 47 years, Ann Lillian Snyder Bond of Mobile, Alabama and by his loving sister Rosalind Patricia Bond of Austin, Texas. He is also mourned by other family members, including his sisters-in-law, Juanita Smith of Raleigh, North Carolina; Joyce Williams of Sarasota, Florida; Gloria Becker of Carrollton, Texas; Sara Harms of Plano, Texas; and Karoline (Mrs. H. B.) Snyder of Grobenzell, Germany; as well as his brother-in-law Dennis Snyder of Mobile, Alabama; numerous nephews and nieces, and his close lifelong friends.Desmond loved poetry, especially poems of Christina Rossetti. Among papers in a stack found on his desk at his death was her poem with its immortal admonition and, now, its timely message from Desmond: “When I am dead, my dearest, sing no sad songs for me.”Desmond’s parting from this Earth was sudden. Now he is at peace in his Eternal home, where there are no sad songs, only the joyful celestial songs of angels.
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