Ben was my mentor at North American Aviation in Columbus, Ohio when I started my first real job in the airframe business. He introduced me to the finite difference method, and taught me always to derive my equations from first principles. He was the most inspiring person I ever knew in my entire career.
His obituary was published by The Society for Computer Simulation and later on Sunday, July 31st in The New York Times under the heading "A. Ben Clymer, Distinguished Futurest." I have taken the liberty of incorporating additional information from the New York Times in the version below.
The Society for Modeling & Simulation International
In Memoriam:
A. Ben Clymer of Ocean Township, New Jersey and formerly of Columbus, Ohio, a long-time member and supporter of the Society for Computer Simulation, died in La Jolla, California on July 20th, 1994. He was 73 years old. Ben Clymer was born August 7th, 1920 in Cleveland, Ohio to William Ruhl and Lulu Jackson Clymer. Ben obtained a BA in Arts-Physics from Oberlin College in 1941, an MS in Engineering Physics at Ohio State University in 1946, and an SM (Master of Science) in Mathematics (Course 18) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT.) in 1948. His home address while at MIT was PO Box 69, Hessel, Michigan 49745. He was a past Vice President of the MIT Club of Central Ohio and Vice Chair of the MIT Fund Regional Gifts. His MIT living group was Ashdown House (formerly Graduate House). Academic honors included Sigma Pi Sigma (Physics), Pi Mu Epsilon (Mathematics), and Sigma Xi (Research).
Ben Clymer was a retired consulting engineer who had been in private practice specializing in simulation and simulators. He was a pioneer in this field beginning with his employment at Ford Instrument Company from 1942 to 1945. As a junior design engineer, he designed mechanical analog computers used in naval fire-control systems for 5-inch guns and up, and an aircraft flight simulator.
During his long career he was employed by the Sperry Corporation, MIT Dynamic Analysis and Control Lab, Owens Illinois Glass Company, Bituminous Coal Research, and North American Aviation, prior to going into private practice in 1961 as a Consulting Analytical Engineer. He served over 40 organizations nationwide in this capacity, specializing in mathematical modeling and simulation. In 1972 he went to work for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and in 1977 moved to New Jersey where he worked for Electronic Associates, Inc., and later for Autodynamics prior to forming his own engineering company in 1983.
Ben Clymer wrote dozens of technical papers for presentation and/or publications. Most recently Mathematical Computer Modeling published his paper on "The Timetable of Life: The Timing of Events in the Lives of Organisms" in which Ben presented his theory for the regulatory of event timing and an empirical mathematical formula for the ages at which these events can occur based on the building of an mRNA molecule one unit at a time. The formula hypothesized that these event ages are equally spaced on a logarithmic time scale, the space being the same for all events and species. He called this the "time table of life" and coined the term "chrontogeny" for the science of time in development.
His civic activities and responsibilities recently included: President of the Board of Directors of the Monmouth Country Literacy Volunteers; Chairman of the Area 44 Alcoholics Anonymous Chapter; member of the Board of Trustees, Chairman of the Literacy Committee, Co-Chairman of Annual Institute and Chairman of the Program Committee for Volunteers in Courts and Corrections of New Jersey.
As Chairman of Mission Earth for the Society for Computer Simulation, Ben Clymer was dedicated to bringing scientists the world over together to explore and promote the role of world simulation as a tool for global planning and the development of a sustainable world system. At the time of his death he was chairing the Mission Earth Symposium at the 1994 Summer Computer Simulation Conference in La Jolla, California, having already chaired several sessions of the Mission Earth Symposium, and planned to lead Mission Earth Symposia later this year in Zurich, Switzerland and Istanbul, Turkey.
Ben is survived by his son Mark G. Clymer of Hessel, Michigan.
"A. Ben Clymer Memorial Fund for Mission Earth"
The Society for Computer Simulation
PO Box 17900, San Diego, CA 92177-7900
August 1994, Simulation page 123