William "Al" Allan Hunter, Chairman of the Board & Director of Product Development of Hunter Automated Machinery Corp., passed away on Oct. 29, 2011. He was 89.

Born in Wilkie, Saskatchewan, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII. Al earned his degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Toronto. He began his career in the foundry industry in 1944 as a floor molder at John T. Hepburn. He went on to work at several other organizations including Toronto Foundry, Dominion Engineering Works, and Beardsley & Piper. After leaving Beardsley & Piper, Al worked at home and in his garage, designing and building an automatic matchplate molding machine that could meet all of a foundry's needs. He started his own company, Hunter Automated Machinery Corp., in 1964. Today, the company has operations across the globe. A member of AFS since 1960, Al's contributions to the industry have resulted in numerous awards. He was presented with the AFS Management Service Citation in 1990 and he received the Wm. J. Grede Award in 2001. He also authored more than 80 patents helping to revolutionize the foundry industry.

Beloved husband for 59 years of the late Margaret E., nee Heath; loving father of William Gary (Karen) Hunter, Dianne (Russell) Seitz, Linda (Jeff) Jones and Heather (Kevin) Purdy; proud grandfather of 13; great-grandfather of 19; and great-great-grandfather of one.

Memorials may be made in his name to the Foundry Educational Foundation, 1695 N. Penny Lane, Schaumburg IL 60173 or at fefinc.org.