Passing... Rowland "Ron" Mowrey aka PE, Photo Engineer, Feb. 15, 2020

[BrianShaw]

Requiem æternam dona ei, Domine
℟. Et lux perpetua luceat ei:
℣. Requiescat in pace.
℟. Amen.

Amen

 

[Lachlan Young]

It's hard to underestimate his contribution to sustaining analogue photography & its gradual regrowth - especially his willingness to share knowledge about emulsion making using modern techniques.

 

[glbeas]

RIP, his life was well lived.

 

[RauschenOderKorn]

Really sad news, a terrible loss to his family, friends and the entire photographic community.

 

[mark]

The man had a good run, and most importantly gave freely of his experience and knowledge to those who were willing to listen.

 

[gordrob]

Very sad news. He will be missed

 

[AgX]

Sad enough we never met in person.

 

[removed account4]

a very sad day, my sincere condolences to his family and friends

RIP PE

 

[eddie]

I'm so sorry to hear this. He was always a gentleman in his patience with our questions, and a valuable member of our little community.

 

[Alan Johnson]

Very good of PE to keep contributing for the time that he did. Will be missed.

 

[CMoore]

Had he been sick, it seems like i did not read much from him lately.?

Especially as a beginner, i am sure i am not the only member that searched his name just to read his comments on various topics.

Like with all fields, members of "The Golden Age" cannot be replaced.
They are Of/From a time that no longer exists.
His experience will not be "duplicated" by younger people going into the field.......
Hollywood, Race Cars, Rock and Roll, Film......once you lose these people, they take (many of) their experiences with them.
We were lucky to have him.

 

[Ian Grant]

A sad loss, Ron kept contributing even when in poor health,something many didn't realise.

Ian

 

[Todd Barlow]

A very generous man to his community.
RIP Ron.

 

[Sal Santamaura]

Had he been sick, it seems like i did not read much from him lately.?...

This is a "Conversation" titled "Are things OK there?" that I sent to Ron last Saturday, February 15, after noticing he hadn't been active at PHOTRIO since January 17:

Hi Ron,

I notice you haven't been at PHOTRIO for a month now. Just checking in to ask whether all's well with you and yours.

Best regards,

Sal​

Thanks to Bob for this thread that explains why Ron didn't answer. My deepest condolences to the Mowery family and all of us here who will be infinitely poorer for Ron's passing.

 

[dutchsteammachine]

Oh, God.

 

[R.Gould]

very sad news indeed, you will be sadly missed by all, Whenever I saw a post by PE i would always read it, and learned such a lot frpm hiom, RIP ron
Richard

 

[Hatchetman]

Jeez 82 is too young to go!

 

[falotico]

I had the chance to go out to lunch with him last May with a friend who is also a photo-enthusiast. We visited his house and saw his dark room, which was to me like playing Chopin's piano. He had trouble walking and questioned whether he would make it through another winter. But his spirit was so upbeat !! His book might be the best on emulsion-making. He had a second volume halfway written.

He had a model train set layout in the basement and shelves full of paperback science fiction. He also had an enlargement of the launch of Friendship 7 which he took himself and which was signed by John Glenn.

The members of APUG will appreciate how much he will be missed.

 

[Ariston]

As new as I am to Photrio, he had already helped me many times... a true expert. My condolences to his family.

 

[Nodda Duma]

A great loss but his legacy will live on. R.I.P.

 

[Stephen Schoof]

He had a model train set layout in the basement....

This makes me admire him even more - I love model railroads. I always enjoyed his posts here and learned so much. R.I.P.

 

[Mr Bill]

Perhaps my saddest day ever on this forum. Sorry for your loss, laser, and my condolences to Ron's family.

 

[removedacct1]

So sorry to hear this. Ron was always generous with his immense body of knowledge. This community is much richer for his contributions. We should all be so lucky to leave a legacy like this.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

With 29,410 posts on APUG and Photrio.com archived in his profile as “Photo Engineer,” Ron Mowrey certainly left a massive trove of information and wisdom here on the forum. I had the good fortune to attend part of an emulsion making workshop he led in New York, where I purchased his emulsion making manual and got to see his handcoating blades in action. Afterward he and Patti Katchur, who organized the workshop at the lab that hosted it, and I had a memorable dinner at Cendrillon on Mercer St. in Soho, a Filipino fusion place run by some more good friends of mine, Romy Dorotan and Amy Besa. He was always saying he owed me dinner up in Rochester, but unfortunately I never made it up there.

Ron’s memory should be an inspiration to those who have the kind of knowledge that Ron had to share it with a wider audience, even if it means rubbing up against a few people who may not seem to appreciate it sometimes. Ultimately the facts speak for themselves, and no user has left a greater legacy of facts here on the forum than Rowland Mowrey.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I keep coming back, reading everyone's posts. I just can't believe it.