John Pickett Dismukes, 85

Inventor Held 14 Patents ...

Nov 16, 1933 — Jan 29, 2019

John Pickett Dismukes of Skillman died from neurological damage on January 29. He was born on Nov 16, 1933 to Edna (Pickett) and John Phillips Dismukes in Greenville, SC. He graduated from Sydney Lanier High School in Montgomery, AL; Auburn University; The University of Illinois; and the University of Muenster, Germany. He began his scientific career at RCA Laboratories in Princeton, and also worked for EXXON and the University of Toledo, OH.

Dismukes' six-man team at RCA earned the David Sarnoff Outstanding Team Award in 1968 for work on thermoelectric alloys for generating electric power, which today is used in solar innovation. He had 28 publications and 14 patents, and he edited diamond usage reference material. His noted skills were diamond and solar development.

In 1968, he served as president of the Princeton Jaycees. He was a Republican candidate for Princeton Borough Council in 1973. He retired from the University of Toledo Chemical Engineering Department in 2014.

His memberships and charities included: the Electrochemical Society, the American Chemical Society, and the NJ Society of Colonial Wars. He also was a member of the Montgomery Township United Methodist Church.

His philosophy in work and service was “to be grateful is to be great.”

He is survived by: his wife, Joan Anne Thompson Dismukes; three sons: Daniel Tracey Dismukes of Maui, HI; Nelson Thompson Dismukes of Sioux City, SD; and John Phillips Dismukes of Skillman; six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Dismukes' great-grandfather‘s former home is now the museum of the Montgomery County Historical Society in Montgomery, AL.

A private family memorial and burial took place on February 5 in Hopewell. Remembrance correspondence may be addressed to Joan Dismukes, 1723 Route 206, Skillman, NJ 08558.