Larry Avery, filtration engineer, piano player, jazz enthusiast, 1921 - 2015
Larry Avery (Clarence E. Avery) passed away Oct. 10 at the age of 94. He had been a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers since 1944. Avery became active with the United Kingdom based Filtration Society from its beginnings in 1963. In 1968 he formed the New York Chapter of the American Filtration Society (AFS) and was twice president of the chapter. Avery was chairman of the American Program Committee of the Filtration Society from 1984-1985. He authored numerous technical papers on filtration, was a frequent presenter at conferences and was a passionate contributor to AFS. Avery was also a member of the American Chemical Society.
Pictured are Larry Avery (left), his son Quentin Avery (center) and Bob Stark, then Editor-in Chief, Chemical Processing magazine (right), making the presentation at the Chem Show in 1993.
Avery graduated from the University of Rochester with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1942 and received his MBA from New York University in 1952. He served in the Navy during World War II. His long career in filtration began in 1954 as a sales engineer for Brosites Products Corp. in New York selling filter presses and 100% cellulose filter paper media. In 1962 Larry founded the Avery Filter Co. Inc., Westwood, N.J., a reseller and manufacturer's agent specializing in filter equipment and media. For a period of time, Avery Filter Co. manufactured its own range of automated membrane filter presses when Avery’s son, Quentin D. Avery, joined the firm.
In 1993 Avery received The Vaaler Award from Chemical Processing for his unique filter press design.
Avery loved his job and worked at his company for the next 50 years until the age of 92.
An avid piano player and jazz enthusiast, Avery continued to play music throughout his life. Whenever a conference was held at a hotel with a piano, you could be sure that Avery would not hesitate to entertain, playing a long list of jazz standards from his repertoire, much to the delight of the attendees.
