Paul Irving Kingsbury, Jr.

Paul was born in Holliston, Massachusetts, in May of 1935. His father was from Holliston; his mother was from Dundas, Prince Edward Island, Canada. His early school interests were in Lionel trains and electrical wiring. Entering high school he added the interests of chemistry, explosives, rockets, cannons and more. In 1953 he graduated from Wilbraham Academy, Wilbraham, Mass., with the highest grades in both chemistry and physics. He next entered Bowdoin College where he won the Freshman Prize in physics.

Paul graduated from physics at Bowdoin in June of 1957. After four years of ROTC at Bowdoin, he was induced into the US Army as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army Signal Corps. He married Eileen Larkin from Farmington, Prince Edward Island, in the Bowdoin College Chapel and was matriculated into a Master’s Degree program in physics at Wesleyan University. He studied quartz piezoelectricity and oscillators at Wesleyan.

After receiving the Wesleyan Master’s Degree in physics, Paul was called as a second lieutenant for six months in the Army Signal Corps at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, where he worked in the army signal corps laboratory developing army radio frequency control. A permanent civilian job was offered!

Interestingly, after the army experience, a job was offered at Bowdoin College as an instructor for an academic year while a professor took a sabbatical. Son Paul III was born in Brunswick, Maine, during 1961.

Nineteen sixty-one led to the new interest in applying for a PhD in physics at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Physics was the major; Electrical Engineering was the minor. Five years led to a thesis graduation with four papers. Three were in The Physical Review and one in Crystallographica. Titanium dioxide provided the subject. TiO2.

Also, the five years in Utah began with two summers worked at the Hercules Powder Company in western Magna on the west side of the Salt Lake valley near the Oquirrh Mountains. Mining dynamite was produced by Hercules. Also, the dynamite was used in third stage solid fuels of Air Force Minuteman ballistic missiles and third stage Navy Polaris missiles. Paul was assigned to measuring exhaust flame temperature and electrical effects from the missile material tests. Interestingly, the measurements led from Magna to western Dugway Proving Ground and twenty five miles into the Salt Flats where a third stage motor was to be blown up in a chemical test. What an experience for a high-school explosive reminiscent!

At the same time in Salt Lake City, Eileen took over a campus grocery store and doubled our university income. Children Susan and Andrew were born in the same period in Salt Lake City.

Paul started working in the Sullivan Park laboratory of Corning Glass Works Laboratory in October of 1967. He left the laboratory in retirement in April 1994 at the age of 59. He worked in both the Development and Research divisions in small and large groups. A small group in the Development division led to an explanation of the physical behavior of Corning’s electrical glass resistors then in production. A small group in the Research division searched the chemical Periodic Table for a cheaper catalytic exhaust converter to be available for gasoline engine exhausts with Corning products. Not possible.

Beyond that, Paul led a group of 10 through work desired to develop a process to make dental restorations. A dentist and a dental laboratory technician were hired into Corning. The process was carried out by a dental expert in Boston with the original idea. After much work, all failed!

More successful was Paul’s work on Corning’s improvement of its light/dark optical glass Photogray Extra produced in the Harrodsburg, Kentucky plant. An improvement in color, darkening and fading was desired. Paul worked with a laboratory mathematician to describe glass behavior in terms of the many chemical experiments that had been carried out in the laboratory. First and second order chemical effects were identified. When the glass was introduced into production in the Harrodsburg tank by the team, darkening and fading rates were determined by a glass composition determined mathematically. PHOTOGRAY PRODUCT SUCCESS!

Following up the original work at Harrodsburg, Paul led production of several commercially desired colors based on chemically based tank compositions identified by chemists.

Later in his career at Corning, Paul ran the Electrical Measurements Laboratory in the research building. Following that he assumed management of the nine Physical Properties Laboratories for five years.

Paul retired from Corning in the spring of 1994 at age 59 after 27 years of Corning service. Hurricane Beryl arrived in Elmira during the summer of 1994. Much flood damage was done in the Town of Elmira, including damage on the Larchmont Creek on Paul’s property. Paul assembled a group of six property owners to convince the Town Board that the flood problem should be solved. After discussion, the Board agreed. Paul hired a teacher and a group of students from the local school BOCES to work on the job. BOCES brought construction equipment to work. Designing and supervising, Paul worked with the group sometimes up to 100 hours a year for ten years.

Flood damage example. Build it back up to yard level. Repair type designed by Paul and built by BOCES students. Larchmont Creek that flows through Paul's yard. See photos above.

From the early days, Paul grew up and served in the Congregational Christian Churches until the year 2000. He served in the Park Congregational Church in the City of Elmira from about years 1969 to 2000. During the service he advanced to be church Council President. Interestingly, he improved the heating system of Park Church during the 1970s and 1980s USA country energy problems. He cut the heating bill in half with his own design of the heating system and its control. Interestingly again, he did the same at the nearby theater Clemens Center with its associated commercial businesses. The result at the center was “significant.”

From about 2000 to 2025 Paul was active in the First Presbyterian Church of Elmira where he was very active in its investment activities. The endowment dollar amount grew even after $1,000,000 was spent by the church over the twenty-five years.

Paul and Eileen also traveled extensively several times after Paul retired from Corning in 1994. Old age was wonderful!

Paul and Eileen. Retired. Cable Beach, New Zealand, 2007. 72 years old.

See photo of Paul and Eileen above.

“OH WOW” “OH WOW” “OH WOW”

Friends are invited to McInerny Funeral Home, 502 W Water Street, Elmira, on Saturday January 3rd, 2026 from 2pm-4pm.

A funeral service for Paul Kingsbury will be held at The Park Church, 208 W Gray Street, Elmira, on Sunday January 4th, 2026 at 2pm. A reception will follow the service

Memorial gifts may be made to a charity of one's choice. Flowers will be provided by the family.