Data Processing

Janet D. Scheler, a retired data processing supervisor and a longtime Hamilton resident, died Nov. 3 of cancer at Stella Maris Hospice in Timonium. She was 77. Janet Darmody was born in Franklin, Ohio, and settled with her family in the city's Gwynns Falls neighborhood in 1940. After graduating from Seton High School in 1950, she went to work in data processing at the American Can Co. She worked as a data-processing supervisor for 23 years for Pittsburgh Plate and Glass until retiring in 1994.

William Francis Bender Jr., a computer and data processing executive, died Tuesday of heart failure at St. Agnes Hospital. He was 69. Born in Baltimore, Mr. Bender lived his entire life in Catonsville. After graduating in 1960 from Mount St. Joseph High School in Irvington, he earned a bachelor's degree in history in 1964 from what is now Loyola University Maryland. He went to work as a manager trainee for the old Union Trust Co. "Computers were just coming in, and the bank wanted bankers to be trained by bankers and not computer people, and that's what Bill did," said his wife of 42 years, the former Joan Zins, a registered nurse.

Frederic "Fritz" Hamilton Sr., a retired state data processing official, died of cancer Oct. 14 at Oak Crest Village in Parkville. The former Joppatowne resident was 78. Mr. Hamilton was born in Dayton, Ohio, and raised in Martinsburg, W.Va., and Baltimore. He dropped out of the city's Boys Vocational School in 1943 to enlist in the Navy. After serving as a radio operator in the Pacific during World War II, he returned to Baltimore and earned his General Educational Development diploma.

Philip G. Martin, who spent nearly four decades in the computer industry and had been data processing chief for the state comptroller's office, died March 19 of complications from muscular dystrophy at his Pasadena home. He was 77. Mr. Martin, the son of farmers, was born and raised in Quinter, Kan. He attended a one-room school in the rural west Kansas farming community and earned a bachelor's degree in music education in 1954 from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan. Mr. Martin taught music education in Texas for a year before enlisting in 1956 in the Army, where he received computer training.

Phillip G. Martin has been working with computers since the age of punch cards, but next Friday he'll type his last keystroke as data processing director for the state comptroller's office.The 62-year-old Pasadena resident is retiring after 35 years as a data processing director. He spent the last 16 of those years working at the state data processing division in Annapolis, which handles about 1.4 million computer transactions each day.Though he has enjoyed working with computers for most of his life, Mr. Martin said the machines are not the best part of his job."

Philip G. Martin, who spent nearly four decades in the computer industry and had been data processing chief for the state comptroller's office, died March 19 of complications from muscular dystrophy at his Pasadena home. He was 77. Mr. Martin, the son of farmers, was born and raised in Quinter, Kan. He attended a one-room school in the rural west Kansas farming community and earned a bachelor's degree in music education in 1954 from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan. Mr. Martin taught music education in Texas for a year before enlisting in 1956 in the Army, where he received computer training.

Johns Hopkins has a contract to acquire the former Zurich Insurance Co. property in north Baltimore and will use it to consolidate financial, data processing and administrative functions currently spread out in several city locations. The 11.4 acre property at Keswick Road and W. 40th Street will be acquired by a subsidiary jointly owned by The Johns Hopkins University, based on the Homewood campus less than half a mile away, and the Johns Hopkins Health System in East Baltimore.

The Bank of Baltimore joined an industrywide wave yesterday by agreeing to send most of its data processing operations, including 45 employees, to a unit of Mellon Bank Corp.The five-year contract with Mellon Information Systems in Pittsburgh is expected to save the Baltimore Bancorp subsidiary as much as $3 million a year by 1994. The savings would come "through the elimination of investments in excess capacity, obsolete equipment and outmoded computer software," the company said in a statement.

Lucille Alice Erich, a retired data processing supervisor and a singer, died Friday of complications from a fall at her home in the Wilson Point section of Essex. She was 80. Mrs. Erich retired in 1988 as director of data entry for Automatic Data Processing Corp. of Towson. She had earlier worked in data processing at Martin Marietta Corp. and Datatel in Baltimore. A soprano, she performed on "Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour" television show in the early 1950s. She also appeared on WBAL radio and television and directed a church choir.

Stephen Joseph Reimer, who achieved his dream of owning a tropical fish store after years of working as a data processor for a bank, died of a heart attack Tuesday at Franklin Square Hospital. He was 53 and lived in Perry Hall.In 1991, he gained ownership of the House of Tropicals II on Belair Road in Fullerton and it soon became one of the largest fish stores in Baltimore County, with more than 500 tanks of species."That was always what he wanted to do after he retired, was to open a store.

Johns Hopkins has a contract to acquire the former Zurich Insurance Co. property in north Baltimore and will use it to consolidate financial, data processing and administrative functions currently spread out in several city locations. The 11.4 acre property at Keswick Road and W. 40th Street will be acquired by a subsidiary jointly owned by The Johns Hopkins University, based on the Homewood campus less than half a mile away, and the Johns Hopkins Health System in East Baltimore.

Janet D. Scheler, a retired data processing supervisor and a longtime Hamilton resident, died Nov. 3 of cancer at Stella Maris Hospice in Timonium. She was 77. Janet Darmody was born in Franklin, Ohio, and settled with her family in the city's Gwynns Falls neighborhood in 1940. After graduating from Seton High School in 1950, she went to work in data processing at the American Can Co. She worked as a data-processing supervisor for 23 years for Pittsburgh Plate and Glass until retiring in 1994.

George T. Cord Jr., a retired owner of a medical records data processing firm and a licensed charter boat captain, died Tuesday of pneumonia at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. He was 90. Mr. Cord was born in Baltimore and raised on Robb Street. He was a graduate of Baltimore public schools. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces and spent the war years in China as an aircraft mechanic repairing B-29 bombers. After the war, he returned to Baltimore and worked for many years as a salesman for Remington Rand before establishing Microfilm Associates in the 1970s.

Frederic "Fritz" Hamilton Sr., a retired state data processing official, died of cancer Oct. 14 at Oak Crest Village in Parkville. The former Joppatowne resident was 78. Mr. Hamilton was born in Dayton, Ohio, and raised in Martinsburg, W.Va., and Baltimore. He dropped out of the city's Boys Vocational School in 1943 to enlist in the Navy. After serving as a radio operator in the Pacific during World War II, he returned to Baltimore and earned his General Educational Development diploma.

Joseph J. Marsiglia, a retired data processing manager for the state Department of Human Resources and World War II veteran who was wounded on Guam, died of heart disease Saturday at St. Agnes HealthCare. He was 81. Mr. Marsiglia retired in 1981 from the department's data processing administration. He also worked for nearly 14 years for the Anne Arundel County government, for which he managed the data processing department, and earlier was a credit manager and data processing manager for the former Equitable Trust Co. for five years.

Lucille Alice Erich, a retired data processing supervisor and a singer, died Friday of complications from a fall at her home in the Wilson Point section of Essex. She was 80. Mrs. Erich retired in 1988 as director of data entry for Automatic Data Processing Corp. of Towson. She had earlier worked in data processing at Martin Marietta Corp. and Datatel in Baltimore. A soprano, she performed on "Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour" television show in the early 1950s. She also appeared on WBAL radio and television and directed a church choir.

For Chris Everett, the 6 1/2 years he spent as a Navy pilot were a lot of fun -- when the skies were clear."It got real dicey when the weather went bad," he recalls, "because you had to rely on your instruments."It's much the same in business, says Mr. Everett, partner in charge of consulting services in Price Waterhouse's Baltimore regional office. When tough times set in, businesses become especially dependent on the corporate version of a jet's radar and altimeter -- its information systems.

Stephen Joseph Reimer, who achieved his dream of owning a tropical fish store after years of working as a data processor for a bank, died of a heart attack Tuesday at Franklin Square Hospital. He was 53 and lived in Perry Hall.In 1991, he gained ownership of the House of Tropicals II on Belair Road in Fullerton and it soon became one of the largest fish stores in Baltimore County, with more than 500 tanks of species."That was always what he wanted to do after he retired, was to open a store.