Bently, Donald Emory

Donald Emory Bently

10/18/1924 - 10/1/2012

Donald Emory Bently, registered professional engineer, industry pioneer, philanthropist, and businessman, died peacefully Monday, Oct. 1, 2012, at his home in Carson Valley, Nev. He was 87.

Don was born in Muscatine, Iowa on Oct. 18, 1924. During high school, he spent many hours working at his father's bowling alley, repairing pins and doing other odd jobs. He graduated from Muscatine High School in 1943 and was drafted, serving in World War II as a Seabee, making four major amphibious landings during World War II. He attended the University of Iowa to receive a BSEE in 1949, followed by an MSEE in 1950.

Don possessed a titanic intellect and an astute business mind. His small business, Bently Scientific Co., began operating out of his garage in Berkeley, Calif., in 1956, and from these humble beginnings he would create a new global industry as well as an entirely new field of engineering. Don moved his fledging company to Minden, Nev., in October 1961 and renamed it Bently Nevada Corporation. Don's unique ability to bridge the gap between laboratory success and commercial success resulted in substantial growth of the business. By the time he sold Bently Nevada to GE Energy in 2002, the company had 2,000 employees worldwide and operated from more than 100 offices in 42 countries.

Don founded many other successful Nevada businesses, including Bently Pressurized Bearing Co., Bently Tribology Services, Bently Agrowdynamics, Bently Biofuels, Gibson Tool & Supply, and RoMaDyn, a mechanical engineering services and diagnostics company.

In each of these endeavors, Don stressed a core business value that he dubbed the “enlightened use of resources.” This ethical standard entails the efficient use of renewable resources, avoiding the waste of natural resources, and the conservative use of corporate resources to provide the best overall win for customers, company, employees, and the environment. In Don's own words, “It has been said that if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. That is how it is with principles. Early in my career I decided that I would be absolutely true to my principles. In the end, I have never regretted adhering as closely as I know how to a set of timeless principles.” These maxims remain true for all of Don's companies, and are an invaluable part of his long-lasting legacy.

Don was a well-known philanthropist, working to preserve the natural beauty of Nevada's Carson Valley region via his love of agriculture and ranching. To the end of his days Don was a forward-thinking individual who tirelessly labored to innovate green technologies and to conserve the natural beauty of Nevada's Carson Valley. Further, in addition to countless local programs, Don gave to multiple schools, and contributed generously to the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum at Port Hueneme, Calif.

Throughout the years, Don continued to support many organizations in Muscatine, Iowa. These included Friends of Pine Creek Grist Mill, Muscatine Junior College and its Alumni Association, Muscatine Community College, Lucille A. Carver Mississippi River Environmental Research Station Fund and the University of Iowa.

Don is survived by his son, Christopher P. Bently; sister and brother-in-law, Barbara Ann and Charles Freyermuth of Iowa City, Iowa and their children, Tod and Laurie Owens of Seattle, Wash., Monica and Donald Temple of Crawfordsville, Iowa, JoAnn and Brent Davis of Cedarville, Ohio, and Michelle and Robert Vossen of Whitehouse, Ohio; numerous grandnieces and grandnephews; and three great-grandnieces and nephews. Additionally, niece, Candy and husband Gene Hawkins of Marengo, Iowa; nephews, Bart and wife Karin Evans of Oxford, Iowa, Blaine and Chad Evans of Parnell, Iowa, Doug and wife Mary Evans of Iowa City, Iowa and Tracy and wife Lorie Evans of Parnell, Iowa. In addition, Don is survived by his nephew, Tod A. Bently and wife Patti Bently; great-nephews, Tod E. and Eli Bently of Gardnerville, Nev.; niece, Meg and Rick Andrews of Reno, Nev.; niece, Tammie Bently, and grandnephew, Sean Hagstrom, of Portland, Ore. Cousins include Joyce Pope, Joan Reed, Bill Bannerman, Louise Joy Conway and Patsy Richy, Ohio; Rose Ellen Sage, Maryland; Larry Eaton, Florida, and Jim Eaton, North Carolina.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Oct. 18 at St. Gall's Catholic Church in Gardnerville, Nev. A graveside service will be held at a later date in Iowa.

Published Oct. 7, 2012 in The Gazette