October 12, 2007, Mountain View, CA--Dr. William (Bill) Wells, Vice President of Export Operations from Newport's Spectra-Physics Lasers Division, passed away suddenly on Sunday, October 7th from complications of metastatic melanoma. He died peacefully, surrounded by his wife Judy and three children, Jennifer, Jonathan, and Nicole.
"As many in the industry know, Bill's friendships extended around the world," said Merrill M. Apter, Sr. director, sales and business development, in Newport's Semiconductor Diode Laser group. "One of Bill's dreams was to encourage the study of foreign culture through language. He embraced the idea that one-on-one interpersonal communication would lead to greater global understanding."
"In the early days of Spectra-Physics (1980), Bill Wells elected to live in Japan, where he learned to speak fluent Japanese as well as established Spectra-Physics, KK. Later, he helped establish the Spectra-Physics European distributor sales channel, SP Export, which today is one of the most successful distribution organizations in the laser industry. In Spectra-Physics, SPExport stands today as a unique and tightly knit family with extraordinary vibrancy and growth where Bill's spirit will live on. In his last days before his retirement, Bill helped establish both the Chinese and Taiwanese distributor subsidiaries for Newport Corporation.
"Bill Wells was a true international pioneer within the laser and photonics industry, yet throughout his career he remained humble and true to his conviction that growing a global community was not only good for business, but aided greater understanding among cultures", commented Reinhard Ebel, Director of the Spectra-Physics international business unit.
Apter stated that one of Bill Well's many accomplishments was, in addition to his international presence and contributions, his participation in and leadership of the U.S. Department of Commerce's (DoC) Sensors and Instrument Technical Advisory Committee (SITAC). SITAC is responsible for educating the DoC to commercial trends and technology advances within the laser industry. Under the chairmanship of Bill Wells, new export regulations were implemented establishing fair trade practices of U.S. companies allowing the laser industry to remain competitive in the world arena.
If you would like to contribute to the newly created Bill Wells Memorial Fund at UC Berkeley, Apter asks that you browse the Web site http://www.wellsrepublic.com where additional information can be obtained. Info about the fund is at: www.wellsrepublic.com.