Walter August Hargreaves died April 6, 2013, at Oak Harbor, Vero Beach.
He was born in Hyde Park, Mass., and lived in Vero Beach, coming from Hilton Head, S.C., and West Brookfield, Mass.
He was an instructor in physics for two years at Amherst College.
With the start of World War II, he became a wartime research associate at MIT, working on the growing of optical crystals of fluorite, an optical material needed by the Air Force to produce high-resolution lenses for high-altitude reconnaissance photography.
He later transferred to the MIT Radiation Laboratory to work on radar systems. In 1948,
He founded a company, OPTOVAC Inc., located in Boston and shortly after in North Brookfield, Mass., which manufactured optical crystals for optical materials other than glass for use in scientific instruments.
He was president of his company for about 40 years until he sold it in 1986.
He received a bachelor of science degree in physics from MIT.
He published “Adventures in Crystal Growing” and his research papers in solid-state physics have been published in Physical Review and elsewhere.
Survivors include his wife, Kathryn “Kentsy” A. Hargreaves of Vero Beach; one niece; and one nephew.
He was preceded in death by five brothers.
No services are planned.
Arrangements are by Strunk Funeral Home, Vero Beach.
