Dr. Stanley K. Derby

Dr. Stanley K. Derby
September 12, 1920 - March 29, 2008 SOUTH BEND, INDIANA. Stanley K. Derby passed away peacefully on March 29, 2008, surrounded by his family. He was born in Bangor, Michigan September 12, 1920 to Glenwood and Hazel Sheffield Derby. On December 9, 1943 he married Jean Graham Derby, who preceded him in death, as did his son, Robert G. Derby. He is survived by his brother, David N. Derby, and his children, Linda Derby Monroe and Kenneth D. Derby. He is survived by three grandchildren, Christine Carson, Susan Monroe Lukowski, and Daniel Monroe; and six great-grandchildren, Sydney and Sam Carson, Daphne Monroe-Wessendorf, Simon and Ramona Monroe Lukowski, and Olivia Monroe. Dr. Derby served in the Army Air Corps in North Africa and the Mediterranean Theater during World War II . When he returned to America, he continued his military career in the Air Force Reserve, retiring with the rank of Colonel in 1976. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 1977 by President Carter. Upon completing his PhD at the University of Michigan, Dr. Derby joined the faculty of the Physics Department at Western Michigan University in 1955. He retired in 1984, and then returned to teaching in 1986 and was named Professor Emeritus. In 1978 he received the Alumni Award for Teaching Excellence. Dr. Derby's major field of study within Physics was Optics, and he developed teaching and research programs at WMU for the then-emerging fields of Spectroscopy, Lasers, and Holography. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Milton Adult Day Services of South Bend, the Abrams Planetarium of Michigan State University, or the "WMU Foundation - Physics Department," in care of Langeland Family Funeral Homes. Visitation will be held at 5-8 PM on Wednesday, April 2 and before the memorial services at 1PM on Thursday, April 3 at Langeland Family Funeral Home, 622 South Burdick St., Kalamazoo, Michigan. www.langelands.com 343-1508