Charles Joseph Warde: born 1940; died September 30th, 2009:CHARLES WARDE, who has died aged 69 in Greensboro, North Carolina, from complications of a stroke, was a pioneering scientist in the field of electric power for vehicles, and latterly a highly regarded professor at one of the most dynamic university campuses in the US.
He was born in Westport, Co Mayo, in 1940, the eldest of four children of Con and Mary (née Gibbons) Warde. He was raised in Dublin, earning his undergraduate degree and PhD in physical chemistry from UCD.
He moved to the US with his bride, Celene FitzGerald Warde, in 1969, working as a physical chemist for over 20 years, initially in Pittsburgh where he patented advancements in lead-cell battery technology at the giant electrical engineering and production company Westinghouse.
He left for Detroit, Michigan, in 1976 to join Energy Development Associates (EDA), where he helped develop one of the first battery-operated cars. He then moved to Greensboro in 1984 with EDA as vice-president of research.
To all who knew him, Charlie, as he was known, was a born teacher.
He finally found his true vocation at High Point University, a former small-scale college in a town more famous for its role as a centre of the furniture trade, but also adjacent to the network of research-anchored high-tech North Carolina cities that also includes Winston Salem, Raleigh-Durham and Chapel Hill.
Under the direction of its current president, the Jordanian-born high-profile banker and business consultant Dr Nido R Qubein, more than $250 million has been invested in 14 new buildings and two stadiums on the High Point campus and the university has added important graduate and business schools.
As professor and chair of the chemistry department, Dr Warde was an enthusiastic participant in this development, earning many teaching accolades, including Professor of the Year.
He was a true Irishman; he loved to talk to people and to make them laugh. His humour and ability to tell a good story were legendary. He loved all languages and music as much as he loved the sciences. He spoke fluent Irish, and had a passion for poetry. His favourite poems were written by Yeats and his elder daughter, Caitlín.
He is survived by his wife, Celene; daughter, Caitlín, of Philadelphia; son Cormac, of Greensboro; daughter, Aisling and her husband, Christopher Zaccarelli, of New York city; and his grandchild, Maura FitzGerald Zaccarelli. And also by his sister and two brothers, Joan Warde-Farley and Dr Padraig Warde, both of Toronto, Canada; and Dr Donal Warde, of Pittsburgh. He was predeceased by his first-born infant son, Seán.
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