Charles W. Spehrley Jr. ’66

Charles W. Spehrley Jr. ’66 passed away peacefully in Jamison, Pennsylvania, on September 24, 2024. Born in nearby Pottsville, “Corky” lettered in football, basketball, and baseball at Pottsville High School and was president of the National Honor Society and class salutatorian. At Dartmouth he was social chairman of Sigma Nu Delta, graduated with an A.B. and went on to earn his B.E. in mechanical and electrical engineering at Thayer. He joined Creare Inc. in Hanover while in grad school and continued with them upon graduation. A prolific inventor with numerous patents, he contributed to the invention of facsimile technology, patented the first ink jet printer head, and designed a mechanical heart valve, among many other breakthrough technologies. In the 1980s he cofounded Spectra Inc. in Etna, New Hampshire, and in 1999 retired and began a very successful consulting business. Corky was married to Karen Ann Wetherill of Wrightstown, Pennsylvania, for 15 years and had two daughters, Kimberly and Kristen. In 1981 he married Dianne Peluso and they divided their time between White River Junction, Vermont, and Key Colony Beach, Florida. Corky was a valued member of both communities. He was an avid racquetball and tennis player and loved to fish. Corky was predeceased by Dianne in 2010 and recently relocated to Jamison to be closer to family. He is survived by his two daughters, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.