James William Day's Obituary
James William Day, at 90, created several businesses.
Mandeville, LA. - James W. Day, an entrepreneur who founded several businesses, and was an international leader in acoustical engineering, died December 24 at his home in Mandeville, LA. He was 90.
The cause was a septic infection, said his son, Barrett Day, MD.
Mr. Day graduated from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas where he received his BS in Chemical Engineering and his officer’s commission in the Navy Reserve, and met his wife, Evelyn Cooper, of Santa Rita, New Mexico. Just after graduation they both joined the Navy to serve in WWII, Evelyn was among the very first women in the armed forces, and Lt. James Day was a very early participant in the radar program at MIT in Boston, which started his career in electronic systems.
After the war Mr. Day studied electronics at Capital Electronics in Washington DC and moved to Bay Village, Ohio in 1950 where he worked for Traveler Television and then Brush Electronics, a multi-disciplinary firm doing defense research and development as well as serving engineering firms in the USA. Mr. Day’s duties included managing the US sales and support for a line of scientific instruments manufactured by the Danish firm, Bruel & Kjaer.
Mr. Day’s success led the Danish firm to ask him to establish an independent US firm to focus only on the sales and distribution of the Bruel & Kjaer sound and vibration measurement instruments, the B&K Instruments corporation. Mr. Day founded and ran B&K for 20 years and participated in many of the key technology events in US history as a major contributor. Among the BK achievements was assisting the NASA Apollo Project in finding ways to reduce the vibration during launching that threatened the integrity of the rockets and the safety of the astronauts. When the aviation industry focused on improving engine efficiency and sound reduction, B&K was instrumental in designing the concentric airflow strategy that reduced turbulence, increased fuel efficiency, and moderated the sound produced by jet engines.
B&K participated in acoustical engineering projects around the country including designing concert hall acoustics including Severance Hall in Cleveland where the Cleveland Symphony plays.
Mr. Day’s unique contribution to the industry was to focus B&K’s efforts on engineering solutions to customers’ problems, including the use of competitor’s products when appropriate, and in truly partnering with customers to achieve success, rather than focusing only on selling equipment. This spirit of partnership led to international recognition of Mr. Day as a leading contributor to acoustical engineering and scientific progress.
During this time Mr. Day also founded the Effective Leadership, Inc. organization providing management consulting and strategy development services to companies around the country based on Mr. Day’s innovative management approach and the best of management practice research available at that time.
After retiring from B&K in 1971, Mr. Day moved first to Bay St. Louis, Miss, and then to Mandeville, LA where he lived with his son, Barrett Day, MD. Mr. Day started another business distributing AMSOIL products, Endura Products, where he established a successful line of sub-distributors and industrial and commercial customers for AMSOIL products.
Mr. Day was a life-long enthusiast for health enhancing and spiritual uplifting activities. After surviving tuberculosis acquired during his Navy service, Mr. Day’s interest in foods, supplements, herbs, and other health enhancing approaches was deep and continuous throughout his life.
His interest and devotion to his spiritual search led him to found the Shadybrook House in the Cleveland area, a retreat and devotional setting widely used to this day. He read and studied widely, including trips around the world in his search, and combined the aspects of many disciplines into a unique and fulfilling spiritual practice that gave him peace and happiness.
Mr. Day was pre-deceased by his wife, Evelyn Cooper Day in December 1999, and is survived by his son Alan Day and his wife Nancy Vescuso of Weston, MA, Barrett Day MD of Mandeville, LA, and Rhonda Day of Rio Rancho, NM. He is also survived by grandchildren Megan Day, her husband Kevin Connors and her daughters Ailsa 9, and Kenzie 5 of Manitou Springs, CO, and Adam Day of Cambridge, MA.
Visitation will be held Wednesday, December 29, 2010 at E.J. Fielding Funeral Home, 2260 West 21st Ave, Covington, LA from 5:00 – 7:00 pm followed by a memorial service at 7:00. Burial will be at the Arlington National Cemetery beside his wife, Evelyn Day in the spring.
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