Wells Family - Person Sheet
Wells Family - Person Sheet
NameCharles William Clapp 
Birth9 May 1909, St Thomas, Ontario, Canada
Death28 Aug 2005, Sun City Center, Hillsborough Co, FL
Burial MemoCremated
Misc. Notes
[Obituary] Tampa Tribune - Sept. 3, 2005
CLAPP, Charles W., 96, passed away August 28, 2005, in the comfort of his family. Born in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, May 9, 1909, he graduated from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, in 1932 and 1934 with bachelor's and master's degrees in physics, and was elected student body president. He married Phyllis M. Wells in 1934 and received a doctorate in physics from the University of Michigan in 1940 with Sigma Xi and Phi Beta Kappa honors. As a research physicist at Corning Glass Works, Corning, N.Y., he received two patents. To support the war effort in 1943, he moved to the research labs of General Electric Co. in Schenectady, N.Y. Working at GE, until his retirement in 1970, he was awarded 12 U.S. patents, among them the patents for X-ray and beta-ray thickness gages. These inventions were of great importance for much faster output of metal hot rolling mills. He received a War Department citation and GE's Charles A. Coffin award for most outstanding invention of the year. These two devices are still used worldwide in advanced rolling mills. Another invention, a "tramp metal detector," was used in saw mills to remove logs containing any metal, such as unexploded shells, before sawing. Such accidents had often maimed or killed mill operators previously. In 1970, he retired from GE and moved to Sun City Center, Fla. He enjoyed lawn bowling, tennis, volleyball and softball, and served as president of the Lawn Bowling Club in 1975. He taught himself computer programming to predict the paths of lawn bowls. On a more serious side, he served on the Emergency Ambulance Squad for three years with his wife, Phyllis. Moving to Bradenton, Fla., in 1977, he was the co-founder and president of Senior League, a non-profit organization to help the disadvantaged of Manatee County. They returned in 1982 to Sun City Center, where he invented one of the first computer programs for creating crossword puzzles, still used by leading crossword puzzle makers. He is survived by Phyllis, his wife of 71 years; his sons, Philip of Boston, Mass., Roger of Lincoln, Calif., and Peter of Santa Fe, N.M.; and his daughter, Judith of Randolph, Mass.; all of whom were present in his last moments. He is also survived by six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He wished to be cremated and his ashes returned to nature.
CLAPP, Charles W., 96, passed away August 28, 2005, in the comfort of his family. Born in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, May 9, 1909, he graduated from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, in 1932 and 1934 with bachelor's and master's degrees in physics, and was elected student body president. He married Phyllis M. Wells in 1934 and received a doctorate in physics from the University of Michigan in 1940 with Sigma Xi and Phi Beta Kappa honors. As a research physicist at Corning Glass Works, Corning, N.Y., he received two patents. To support the war effort in 1943, he moved to the research labs of General Electric Co. in Schenectady, N.Y. Working at GE, until his retirement in 1970, he was awarded 12 U.S. patents, among them the patents for X-ray and beta-ray thickness gages. These inventions were of great importance for much faster output of metal hot rolling mills. He received a War Department citation and GE's Charles A. Coffin award for most outstanding invention of the year. These two devices are still used worldwide in advanced rolling mills. Another invention, a "tramp metal detector," was used in saw mills to remove logs containing any metal, such as unexploded shells, before sawing. Such accidents had often maimed or killed mill operators previously. In 1970, he retired from GE and moved to Sun City Center, Fla. He enjoyed lawn bowling, tennis, volleyball and softball, and served as president of the Lawn Bowling Club in 1975. He taught himself computer programming to predict the paths of lawn bowls. On a more serious side, he served on the Emergency Ambulance Squad for three years with his wife, Phyllis. Moving to Bradenton, Fla., in 1977, he was the co-founder and president of Senior League, a non-profit organization to help the disadvantaged of Manatee County. They returned in 1982 to Sun City Center, where he invented one of the first computer programs for creating crossword puzzles, still used by leading crossword puzzle makers. He is survived by Phyllis, his wife of 71 years; his sons, Philip of Boston, Mass., Roger of Lincoln, Calif., and Peter of Santa Fe, N.M.; and his daughter, Judith of Randolph, Mass.; all of whom were present in his last moments. He is also survived by six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He wished to be cremated and his ashes returned to nature.
Spouses
Birth17 Sep 1912, Kingston, Frontenac Co, Ontario, Canada
Death22 Aug 2011, Sun City Center, Hillsborough Co, FL
FatherEdward D. “Edwin” Wells (1870-1941)
Mother Margaret Thelia Cramer (1872-1962)
Misc. Notes
She married Charles William Clapp on August 8, 1934 in Kingston, Ontario.
He was born May 9, 1909 in Yarmouth Twp, Elgin Co, Ontario, Canada and died before Phyllis on August 28, 2005 in Sun City Center.
She immigrated from Belleville, Ontario to the US via Detroit on 20 Sep 1939, with her husband, to live in Corning, NY.
Charles and Phyllis had 4 children: Philip, Roger, Peter, and Judith.
He was born May 9, 1909 in Yarmouth Twp, Elgin Co, Ontario, Canada and died before Phyllis on August 28, 2005 in Sun City Center.
She immigrated from Belleville, Ontario to the US via Detroit on 20 Sep 1939, with her husband, to live in Corning, NY.
Charles and Phyllis had 4 children: Philip, Roger, Peter, and Judith.
Marriage8 Aug 1934, Kingston, Frontenac Co, Ontario, Canada