David A. Goldfarb
Moderator
Sandy King passed on this sad news from Patrick Gainer's daughter over on the Large Format forum:
"Patrick Anthony Gainer, beloved husband and father, passed away at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland on November 28, 2015 at the age of 88. Loving, pious, generous to a fault, humorous, brilliant and talented, Patrick was a retired NASA engineer who loved to recall his work in designing star charts for and with the Mercury astronauts. In addition to his work at NASA, he was oboist for the Peninsula Symphony, Norfolk Symphony, Virginia Symphony and Governor's Palace Orchestra of Colonial Williamsburg. He was an accomplished photographer and photographic researcher. He published an article about “home-brewed” developers for black and white film in Petersen's Guide to Creative Darkroom Techniques. Another of his major articles was for the magazine "Darkroom and Creative Camera Techniques" (November / December 1994 issue) entitled "Non Chromogenic Antiscorbutic Developers for Black and White", which was his humorous way of saying, "I have concocted some developers for black-and-white film that contain ascorbic acid." Note that ascorbic acid is commonly known as "Vitamin C". His new formula for developer involving common "Vitamin C" could be procured at any health food store for significantly less money than traditional developing agents and became popular with the “analog” photographic community as well as some university art programs which greatly appreciated the cost savings. He was also a contributing editor for Photo Techniques magazine.
He was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, on July 14, 1927, the son of Patrick Ward Gainer, renowned folklorist and West Virginia University English professor, and Antionette Kizinski. He served in the US Army from 1945 to 1947, was a graduate of West Virginia University, and worked for NASA Langley in Hampton, Virginia from 1952 until his retirement in 1982. He is survived by five of his six children, 10 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren, including son Patrick Lloyd Gainer and his daughter Erin Gainer; daughter Mary Theresa Gainer Calame and her children Ann Hancock, Joni Robbins, Daniel Moseley, and Mary Riggs; grandson Ian Gainer, son of his late son Robert Michael Gainer; daughter Alice Louise Gainer Standin and her husband William Gary Standin; daughter Frances Ellen Gainer Davey, her husband Robert Davey and their children John and Patrick Davey; and Christine Marie Gainer Barton, her husband Michael Barton and their children Rosemary and Anthony Barton. He is also survived by his brothers Michael and Thomas Gainer, and sister Miriam Goder. Preceding him in death was his beloved wife Rosemary Layman Gainer, with whom he long wished to be reunited. God willing, it is so.
A memorial in his honor will be held by family members in the Spring. At that time, his ashes will be interred in Good Shepherd Cemetery, in Tanner, West Virginia. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 701 Mineral Rd, Glenville, WV 26351, or to West Virginia Public Radio (https://secure.wvpublic.org/donate/) both of which organizations gave him much joy when he relocated to West Virginia upon his retirement."
Patrick was always a valuable contributor when he was able to be active on APUG and on the LF Forum and was a moderating presence when controversy may have been brewing elsewhere on the forum. I certainly learned a good deal from what he had to say and will miss him.
On LF Forum-- http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?126879-Patrick-Gainer-RIP
His APUG profile is here: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)
"Patrick Anthony Gainer, beloved husband and father, passed away at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland on November 28, 2015 at the age of 88. Loving, pious, generous to a fault, humorous, brilliant and talented, Patrick was a retired NASA engineer who loved to recall his work in designing star charts for and with the Mercury astronauts. In addition to his work at NASA, he was oboist for the Peninsula Symphony, Norfolk Symphony, Virginia Symphony and Governor's Palace Orchestra of Colonial Williamsburg. He was an accomplished photographer and photographic researcher. He published an article about “home-brewed” developers for black and white film in Petersen's Guide to Creative Darkroom Techniques. Another of his major articles was for the magazine "Darkroom and Creative Camera Techniques" (November / December 1994 issue) entitled "Non Chromogenic Antiscorbutic Developers for Black and White", which was his humorous way of saying, "I have concocted some developers for black-and-white film that contain ascorbic acid." Note that ascorbic acid is commonly known as "Vitamin C". His new formula for developer involving common "Vitamin C" could be procured at any health food store for significantly less money than traditional developing agents and became popular with the “analog” photographic community as well as some university art programs which greatly appreciated the cost savings. He was also a contributing editor for Photo Techniques magazine.
He was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, on July 14, 1927, the son of Patrick Ward Gainer, renowned folklorist and West Virginia University English professor, and Antionette Kizinski. He served in the US Army from 1945 to 1947, was a graduate of West Virginia University, and worked for NASA Langley in Hampton, Virginia from 1952 until his retirement in 1982. He is survived by five of his six children, 10 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren, including son Patrick Lloyd Gainer and his daughter Erin Gainer; daughter Mary Theresa Gainer Calame and her children Ann Hancock, Joni Robbins, Daniel Moseley, and Mary Riggs; grandson Ian Gainer, son of his late son Robert Michael Gainer; daughter Alice Louise Gainer Standin and her husband William Gary Standin; daughter Frances Ellen Gainer Davey, her husband Robert Davey and their children John and Patrick Davey; and Christine Marie Gainer Barton, her husband Michael Barton and their children Rosemary and Anthony Barton. He is also survived by his brothers Michael and Thomas Gainer, and sister Miriam Goder. Preceding him in death was his beloved wife Rosemary Layman Gainer, with whom he long wished to be reunited. God willing, it is so.
A memorial in his honor will be held by family members in the Spring. At that time, his ashes will be interred in Good Shepherd Cemetery, in Tanner, West Virginia. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 701 Mineral Rd, Glenville, WV 26351, or to West Virginia Public Radio (https://secure.wvpublic.org/donate/) both of which organizations gave him much joy when he relocated to West Virginia upon his retirement."
Patrick was always a valuable contributor when he was able to be active on APUG and on the LF Forum and was a moderating presence when controversy may have been brewing elsewhere on the forum. I certainly learned a good deal from what he had to say and will miss him.
On LF Forum-- http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?126879-Patrick-Gainer-RIP
His APUG profile is here: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)
