Patrick A. Gainer

<p>i HAD EMAILED PATRIC gAINER SEVERAL MONTHS AGO.<br>

a family member sent me this message.<br>

Mr Gainer was well known for B&W developer formulas.<br>

--------------------------------------------------<br>

At 12:19 PM 11/30/2015 -0500, you wrote:<br />I regret to inform you that our father, Patrick Gainer, passed away on Saturday. If you are still involved in APUG, can you let them know? Thanks. Here is the obituary we intend to publish:<br /><br /><br />Patrick Anthony Gainer, beloved husband and father, passed away at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland on November 28, 2015 at the age of 88. Loving, pious, generous to a fault, humorous, brilliant and talented, Patrick was a retired NASA engineer who loved to recall his work in designing star charts for and with the Mercury astronauts. In addition to his work at NASA, he was oboist for the Peninsula Symphony, Norfolk Symphony, Virginia Symphony and Governor's Palace Orchestra of Colonial Williamsburg. He was an accomplished photographer and photographic researcher. He published an article about “home-brewed� developers for black and white film in Petersen's Guide to Creative Darkroom Techniques. Another of his major articles was for the magazine "Darkroom and Creative Camera Techniques" (November / December 1994 issue) entitled "Non Chromogenic Antiscorbutic Developers for Black and White", which was his humorous way of saying, "I have concocted some developers for black-and-white film that contain ascorbic acid." Note that ascorbic acid is commonly known as "Vitamin C". His new formula for developer involving common "Vitamin C" could be procured at any health food store for significantly less money than traditional developing agents and became popular with the “analog� photographic community as well as some university art programs which greatly appreciated the cost savings. He was also a contributing editor for Photo Techniques magazine. <br />He was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, on July 14, 1927, the son of Patrick Ward Gainer, renowned folklorist and West Virginia University English professor, and Antionette Kizinski. He served in the US Army from 1945 to 1947, was a graduate of West Virginia University, and worked for NASA Langley in Hampton, Virginia from 1952 until his retirement in 1982. He is survived by five of his six children, 10 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren, including son Patrick Lloyd Gainer and his daughter Erin Gainer; daughter Mary Theresa Gainer Calame and her children Ann Hancock, Joni Robbins, Daniel Moseley, and Mary Riggs; grandson Ian Gainer, son of his late son Robert Michael Gainer; daughter Alice Louise Gainer Standin and her husband William Gary Standin; daughter Frances Ellen Gainer Davey, her husband Robert Davey and their children John and Patrick Davey; and Christine Marie Gainer Barton, her husband Michael Barton and their children Rosemary and Anthony Barton. He is also survived by his brothers Michael and Thomas Gainer, and sister Miriam Goder. Preceding him in death was his beloved wife Rosemary Layman Gainer, with whom he long wished to be reunited. God willing, it is so. <br /><br />A memorial in his honor will be held by family members in the Spring. At that time, his ashes will be interred in Good Shepherd Cemetery, in Tanner, West Virginia.<br /><br /><br />Sincerely,<br />Christine Barton<br /></p>

This is the only Patrick Gainer I can find on photo.net: http://www.photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=393883

 

Walter, thanks for relaying the sad news. Patrick, RIP.

 

More info here: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?126879-Patrick-Gainer-RIP

<p>Thank you, Walter. In his 30 year career with NASA, until retiring in 1982, he was a scientist and that experience no doubt allowed him to be inquisitive and exploratory in photography. I did not know him or his work (unfortunately), unless upon reading some of his articles in Photo Techniques I did not note (or cannot remember) his name, but a good idea of the very high calibre of his contributions can be seen in one of his articles about alternative developers as he lived far from photo retailers in the more secluded but very attractive West Virginia hills. People like him are what make photography a dynamic and collaborative community.</p>

<p>http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/VitC/vitc.html</p>

<p>Sincere sympathies to his family and friends.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>A person who can be that serious in his research and still call his developer "antiscorbutic" deserves a certain respect.</p>

<p>I became familiar with Patrick Gainer in the early 2000's when I started experimenting with Patrick's vitamin C film developer just before going to digital. My last few rolls of film were developed in his formula. It was interesting and inspiring to see his fresh creative approach to an old technology.</p>

<p>Very sad news. He will be sorely missed.</p>

<p>when I contacted him several years ago he reponded right away.<br>

I only knew him as an expert on b&w developers.</p>

<p>recently pssibly several months ago, I emailed him.<br>

one of his dughters responded instead. sayin he was visiting family.</p>

<p>I am aware that many other long time m,ebers and resident experts are no longer with us.<br>

I am 80 and many friends and classmates are now gone.<br>

I am going in to have a heard valve and a sting added to my heard.<br>

pssibly the rish is small, but who knows.</p>

<p> </p>

Walter, best of luck. We are all here on earth for a finite amount of time. Enjoy everything while we can.