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Richard Bennett
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SPIE Member Richard Bennett, founder and president of SPIE Corporate Member Andover Corporation, passed away 21 October 2017 in his hometown of Andover, Massachusetts. He was 72 years old.
According to his obituary, Bennett grew the 30-year-old company from a two-man operation in his garage to a world-recognized leader in the design and manufacture of state of the art optical filters, coatings and related products. Andover Corporation has redefined precision in thin film coating technology and supplies key components in the astronomy, medical, environmental and military markets.
Bennett was an active member of many optical trade associations and an SPIE Member for nearly a decade. He brought his company to multiple SPIE events including Defense + Commercial Sensing, Photonics West, Optics + Photonics and Optifab for nearly 15 years.
Bennett’s contributions were felt outside the optics community too. He was a member of one of the oldest charitable organizations in the world, the Brotherhood of St. Christoph, and a decorated Navy pilot. He is survived by his wife, Joann, and his nephew, Keith and his family.
