The true measure of a man's greatness is only partly the mark he leaves on his profession. An important part of a man's legacy is the friends he leaves behind.
Marion "Bud" Keyes was a great man. You only need to read the entries in the guestbook of the funeral home in Saint Louis to see how much he influenced other people we would consider visionaries of the process automation industry-- people like Mark Nixon, Terry Blevins and John Berra, among others.
It isn't an accident that these men, as well as many others influenced by Keyes, are members of the Process Automation Hall of Fame. Keyes was one of the original inductees into the Hall, and he spent his career creating important innovations in technology and mentoring his employees by demanding the best performance, both of himself, and them.
Keyes is among those responsible for two of the most successful distributed control systems ever designed, first at Bailey Controls (now ABB) and then at Emerson Process Management, where he oversaw the creation of the DeltaV distributed control system.
Bud passed away suddenly on Friday, May 17th, leaving his wife Pat, his family, and a huge host of friends and colleagues who are saddened by his passing.
