Joe CUNNING graduated from Mount Ayr High School in 1954. During his school years, Joe not only displayed his abilities in the classroom but participated in football, played the clarinet in the high school band for four years, and was a member of the Boy Scouts. He worked for Les and Mary Jane PARKS at the Lion Auto Store after school and on weekends. During his senior year and with the encouragement from principal Vance GEIGER, Joe filled in for the advanced trigonometry instructor who had become ill, teaching the class for six weeks.

With the encouragement of Mount Ayr's high school chemistry teacher, Clint SMITH, Joe persued his advanced education at Iowa State University, receiving his chemical engineering degrees and his Ph.D in 1965. While at ISU, Joe met his future wife, Patricia HIRSHBURG. They became the parents of two daughters.

Upon completion of his studies, Joe was hired by DuPont Company and the CUNNINGS moved to Martinsville, Virginia. Joe worked for DuPont for the next 15 years in various locations in North and South Carolina and Virginia.

Joe commented on his dedication to his work, saying, "My family called me a workaholic."

In 1980, Joe's dedication and devotion to the synthetic fiber department of DuPont gave him the opportunity to work in the company's research laboratory. Included among his responsibilities were non-woven products as well as polyester filaments and staple fibers. After his 25-year career with DuPont and his retirement in 1993, Joe remained a world-wide recognized and sought after authority in his field. He had formed the CUNNING and Associates Ltd. consulting firm in 1992, serving the international textile research and development community.

Averaging 100,000 air miles a year, Joe has served on the governing boards of the Fiber Society, vice-president of the Textile Institute, the Techincal Advisory Committee, and on the board of governors of the Iowa State University Foundation. In 1988, Joe was awarded the Professional Achievment Citation in Engineering from ISU. In 1992, he was named the first Executive Director of the National Textile Center, a research consortium of six universities.

Joe and Patricia spend time in their vacation home on Marco Island, Florida. They are heavily involved in the local and district work of the Presbyterian Church. Joe serves on the New Castle Presbytery, which includes 55 churches. Joe also enjoys computer work, photography, and traveling.

SOURCE: FETTY, Jack. Rings of Gold Pp. 11-13. Palindrome Pub. Co. Iowa. 2007.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, June of 2010

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Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, April 09, 2015, Page 1

Iowa State University chemical engineering alumni Dr. Joe D. Cunning was inducted into the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Hall of Fame March 27.

Cunning received a commemorative plaque in his honor placed on the department's Hall of Fame wall in Sweeney Hall. Family members from Pennsylvania, Florida and Mount Ayr attended the ceremony.

The brother of local businessman Dan Cunning, Joe Cunning was valedictorian of the 1954 graduating class of Mount Ayr High School. According to family members, during his senior year he ended up teaching a high school math class when the teacher became very ill. He also set up his own radio station and photographic darkroom in his home and was considered a talented lineman on the football team.

Cunning received three chemical engineering degrees at Iowa State - a B.S. in 1958, an M.S. in 1962 and a Ph.D. in 1965. He has risen to worldwide prominence in the field of exploratory, long-range fiber research. He spent 28 years working with the DuPont Company, working in research and development of different fiber types and headed the corporation's Pioneering Research Laboratory. Since 1991 he has been president of Cunning & Associates, Ltd., which provides consulting services for the textiles research and development community.

Cunning was awarded the College of Engineering Professional Achievement Citation in Engineering (PACE) award from Iowa State in 1988 and currently serves on the Iowa State University Foundation's Board of Governors. He is also an advisor to the National Textile Center, a clustered research consortium of eight universities.

Photograph courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2015