Richard Bridge (Dick) Leining passed away suddenly in Salt Lake City, Utah, on December 17, 2018, due to natural causes.
Dick was born on November 17, 1936, in Weymouth MA to Rev. Gustave H. Leining of Meriden CT and Edna B. Bridge of Jersey City NJ. He attended public schools in Braintree MA and Franklin NH. He graduated from Tilton (NH) School in 1954. He graduated from Yale University (New Haven CT) in 1958 with a bachelor\s degree in chemical engineering.
Dick worked for Hercules Incorporated as a chemical engineer in Wilmington DE and Brunswick GA, then as an aerospace engineer in Cumberland MD and Bacchus UT, where he specialized in explosives and system safety. He retired from Alliant TechSystems (successor to Hercules Aerospace) in 1996. He gave papers to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA, successor to American Rocket Society, 1963, 1970) and the Chemical Propulsion Information Agency (CPIA, 1978 ‚ 1985) and held U.S. Patent 5,534,090. He helped demilitarize chemical munitions in Utah (1998) and Alabama (2000).
Dick was a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), First Unitarian Church, and Intermountain Acoustic Music Association (IAMA). He played banjo with the Utah Old-Time Fiddlers and was active for decades in the Wasatch Mountain Club. His amateur radio call sign was W7DML. He spoke German, French, Russian, and some Gaelic. He presented papers on cryptography to the American Mathematical Society (Pocatello ID 1987) and the American Cryptogram Association (Dallas TX 1989). He published articles in Sing Out (Mar. 1965), Banjo Newsletter (Feb. 1977), QST (August 1983), BYTE (Mar. 1985 and letters), and Intermountain Acoustic Musician (Dec. 2004, Oct. 2005).
Dick was very committed to his family and was an enthusiastic gardener and bread maker. He was the proud Opa of two wonderful grandchildren.
Dick is survived by his wife Dr. Lilian McLaren Leining, children Catherine R. Leining (married to Mark W. Jones; Wellington NZ), Adam C. Leining (San Francisco CA), Dr. Mairi G. Leining (married to Ravi C. Adusumalli; Salt Lake City UT), grandchildren Bridge K. and Chase V. Rao (Salt Lake City UT), and sister Judith L. Koob (married to John D. Koob; North Shore MA). His parents predeceased him.
As per Dick's wishes, a small funeral service will be held for family members only. In lieu of flowers, the family suggest contributing to public television KUED or public radio KUER.
