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Today's Featured Biography

David Leighty

After attending Fairland schools from 1st to 9th grade, I moved to Columbus in 1963, where I graduated from Columbus North. While there I was selected by Westinghouse to attend the Youth Conference on the Atom as one of the two best science students in Ohio. I went to MIT on a full scholarship. While there I briefly worked on a project that later won the Nobel Prize in biochemistry. I liked Boston, and I stayed there after graduating to work, first in oceanographic research at the New England Aquarium Research Labs for 5 years, then in scientific instrument development and marketing at Thermo Instruments for 10 years.

I married in 1974, divorced in 1982, then found Valerie, the love of my life, and married her in 1984 while we were both working at Thermo. We stayed in the Boston area while I became vice president and general manager of Scanalytics in 1987 to 1992. In 1992, we moved to Beachwood, NJ where I became president for the next 15 years of Perma Pure, a medical device manufacturer. In 2007 I moved up into Halma p.l.c., the parent holding company for Perma Pure. I am now Group Acquisition Executive, and I buy high-technology businesses for Halma. I am still working as it gives me purpose now that I am alone. Perhaps another couple of years.

Valerie and I had no children; both our first marriages got in the way. I lost Valerie to cancer in 2015, and I remain devastated. I still travel regularly, both for pleasure and for business. I spent 3 weeks skiing in Vail, Colorado last season, and I went to Hawai'i with friends for a week. Valerie and I intended to retire to Hawai'i, and I may yet do so. I still ski hard, but now rarely scuba dive, although I have been down about 200 times in earlier years and I did dive in Hawai'i this past summer. I have traveled to 48 countries and islands on 6 continents, but still need to get to Antarctica.

In 2016 I flew over 100,000 miles as I traveled to Spain, China, Denmark, Germany, France, the UK and Iceland on business, as well as many US cities. I have flown more than 1 million miles on United.

I have had a good life and a good career and have been blessed, despite not having children. Although my family moved into Rome in the early 1800's, all close relatives have died or moved away, and our family farm (Gardner Fruit Farm) is now a subdivision, like many former farms. I have not been back in many years. I saw Karen Fuller a few years ago while on business in Columbus. For the rest of you, I hope you are well.

I do not Face or Twit, so you will not find me on Facebook or Twitter. If you want to hear more about me, including a very recent photo, you can find all that on LinkedIn.

Be well,

David

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