Kenneth W. Wicks, engineer

Kenneth W. Wicks, 88, formerly of Media, an engineer and community activist, died of aortic stenosis Tuesday at his home in West Chester.

Mr. Wicks designed commercial heating and cooling solutions for Coward Environmental Systems in Mount Laurel for 20 years. For the last five years, he continued to consult for the company, and younger engineers there often sought his advice, said his son, Hugh.

Mr. Wicks earned a bachelor's degree from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y. During World War II, he served in the Navy as a radio technician in the States.

After his discharge, he worked in New York for E.A. Lundy, an engineering firm. There he helped design the first air-conditioned passenger rail car for the Atlantic Coast Railroad in North Carolina, his son said. For more than 10 years he was a sales representative and engineer for Marlo Coil Co. and he opened its regional office in Upper Darby in 1954. While at Marlo, he patented a coil he designed. Later, he worked for an engineering firm in Devon before joining Coward in the 1980s.

A 49-year resident of Delaware County, Mr. Wicks was active with the Band Parents at Penncrest High School in the 1970s, volunteered with the Springfield Ambulance Corps, and was a member of the Springfield Lions Club. He served on the board of the Delaware County branch of the Pennsylvania Association of the Blind and was on the building committee to expand the Delco Blind Sight Center in Chester.

Mr. Wicks recorded services at Covenant United Methodist Church in Springfield, and was a former building committee chairman and church school superintendent.

He enjoyed problem-solving at work and in his community, his son said.

Since 1944, Mr. Wicks had been married to Dorothy Luke Wicks. They met at church in their hometown of Cedarhurst, N.Y. In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Wicks is survived by a son Allen; a daughter, Nancy Vignette; and four grandchildren.

A memorial service will be at 3 p.m. today at Covenant United Methodist Church, 212 W. Springfield Rd., Springfield. Friends may call after 2 p.m.