1. ROBSON F.
STOREY
T.W. Bennett Symposium
The School of Polymers and High Performance Materials
Hattiesburg, MS
Friday, April 17, 2015

2. IN MEMORY OF THOMAS WARRING BENNETT JR.
Major
22ND BOMB WING (TDY),
307TH STRAT WING, SAC
United States Air Force
22 December 1942 - 09
October 1980
Natchez, Mississippi
Panel 01W Line 103
On 22 Dec 1972, during the "Christmas bombing" of
North Vietnam, B-52D tail number 55-0061 was being
flown by a crew from the 22nd Bomb Wing, attached
to the 307th Strat Wing at U-Tapao RTAFB, Thailand,
and was targeted against the Bac Mai military storage
area near Hanoi. Just short of the target, 55-0061 was
attacked by a MiG and was separated from the other
aircraft in its cell. While the MiG's missiles failed to hit
the B-52, a surface-to-air SA-2 missile did hit in the
central fuselage area. With both wings on fire and the
pilot semiconscious, the copilot directed the crew to
bail out. Six crewmen were aboard:
• Capt Peter J. Giroux, Trumansburg, NY
• Capt Thomas W. Bennett, Natchez, MS
• Major Gerald W. Alley, Pocatello, ID
• 1stLt Joseph B. Copack, Chicago, IL
• Capt Peter P. Camerota, Gibbstown, NJ,
• MSgt Louis E. LeBlanc, Providence, RI
Captain Giroux amd MSgt LeBlanc were captured at
once, while Captain Camerota successfully evaded for
12 days before surrendering to the North Vietnamese.
These three came home three months later, but the
returning POWs knew nothing of the other three. The
remains of 1stLt Copack and Major Alley were
repatriated on 15 Dec 1988, with positive
identification announced on 27 June 1989. Captain
Bennett was carried as Missing in Action until a
Presumptive Finding of Death was approved on 09
Oct 1980; his remains have not been repatriated.

3. Session 1
Moderator Kenneth Mauritz, Professor Emeritus
The University of Southern Mississippi
12:50 pm Introductory Remarks, Patricia Biesiot
Associate Dean,College of Science and
Technology
12:55 pm Introductory Remarks, Gordon Cannon
Vice President for Research
1:00 pm JeffreyWiggins, Director of School of
Polymers,The University of Southern
Mississippi, “NextGenerationAerospace
Composite Matrix Science”
1:30 pm Jimmy Mays, Professor and ORNL
Distinguished Scientist, University of
Tennessee, “New HighTemperature
Thermoplastic Elastomers Based on
Poly(benzofulvene) Hard Blocks”
2:00 pm Andrew Magenau,Visiting Assistant
Professor,The Pennsylvania State University
“ElectrochemicalSynthesis of Genetically
Targetable Fluorescent Probes for Live-cell
Imaging and Perturbation ”
Session 2
Moderator Shelby F.Thames, Professor Emeritus
The University of Southern Mississippi
3:00 pm Robert Moore, Professor, Physical and Polymer
ChemistryVirginia Polytechnic University
“Creation of BlockyCopolymers via Gel-State
Functionalization of Semi-crystalline Polymers”
3:30 pm Charles McCormick, Professor of Polymer
Science,The University of Southern Mississippi
“Synthetic Milestones in the Development of
Stimuli-responsive Architectures viaAqueous
RAFT Polymerization”
4:00 pm Judit Puskas, Joseph M. Gingo Chair in Chemical
Engineering,The University of Akron
“Rubbery Biomaterials:The GE
Healthymagination Breast Cancer Challenge”
4:30 pm Robson Storey, Bennett Distinguished Professor,
The University of Southern Mississippi
“Telechelic Polyisobutylenes by DirectQuenching
of Living Polymerization”
5:15 pm Reception / PSRC Atrium
SCHEDULE

4. PAST AND PRESENT BENNETT PROFESSORS
2013-2015
Robson Storey
School of
Polymers & High
Performance
Materials
2007-2009
Vernon Asper
Marine Science
2005-2007
Sabine
Heinhorst
Chemistry
2003-2005
Roger Hester
School of
Polymers & High
Performance
Materials
2001-2003
Steve Ross
Biology
1999-2001
Gordon Cannon
Vice President
for Research
1997-1999
Charles
McCormick
School of
Polymers & High
Performance
Materials
1995-1997
Frank Moore
Biology
1993-1995
Andy Griffin –
Professor and
Chair, School of
Polymer, Textile
and Fiber
Engineering,
Georgia Institute
of Technology

5. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR
QUESTIONS
Please contact:
Dr. Robson F. Storey
Bennett Distinguished Professor
The University of Southern Mississippi
School of Polymers & High Performance Materials
118 College Dr. Box 5050
Hattiesburg, MS 39406
601-266-4879