Dayton Section Memoriums

Krishna Pasala

Fritz J. Russ

John Kraus & Chen-To Tai

Irv Mayer March 2004

Daniel Keith Mevis

Walt Nolte

John "Jack" Cannon

Lt. Col. Charles Brothers

Jerry Duchene

Nataraj S. Nataraj

Professor Krishna Pasala

Professor Krishna Pasala, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Dayton

Dayton Community Looses International Scholar and Dedicated Teacher

Jan 2008: The Dayton community mourns the passing of a significant member of the electrical and computer engineering field. Professor Krishna Pasala was a nationally and internationally recognized scholar, working in the areas of electromagnetics, antennas and adaptive signal processing. Over the last 25 years, he has combined a career of enthusiastic teaching, innovative multidisciplinary research, and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students, and faculty. His tireless efforts have resulted in strong partnerships between The University of Dayton and the Air Force Research Labs in both collaborative research and course offerings.

Dr. Krishna Murthy Pasala was born in Eluru India. He obtained his PhD from the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in 1975 after earning his Bachelors in Engineering degree from the College of Engineering at Kakinada University in 1970. In 1980 began his association with UD, first with the university research institute (UDRI) and then ultimately as Full Professor with the Electrical and Computer engineering (ECE) department faculty where he taught for over 30 years.

He dedicated his career in ECE to the education of undergraduate and graduate students. In the course of Dr. Pasala's career he mentored many graduate students including his contributions as committee advisor for over 25 MS and PhD students. His students will remember him as an extraordinarily gifted teacher who with noble and inspirational techniques conveyed the beauty of science to his students. Many of his former students are active members of his research team addressing scientific challenges of the day. New courses he had introduced in the curriculum are offered at UD and WPAFB.

Dr. Pasala was instrumental in forging a strong and continued relationship between WPAFB and UD and more recently with IISc. He had numerous publications in prestigious journals. His work is often cited in Aviation Week and Space Technology. His work is a testimony to the level of cutting edge research that he and his research group performed.

We honor his leadership, dedication and commitment to the communities he served. He is survived by his Mother Alivelu Manga Thayaramma, Wife Usha, Daughters: Sheela, Swapna, Prasanthi, Kavitha; Sons-in-law: Venu, Haree and Grand Daughters: Sanjana and Shalini.

Memorial For Fritz J. Russ

Dr. Fritz J Russ, passed away Wednesday, November 3, 2004. He was 84. His innovation, vision and technical expertise spanned an engineering career of more than 55 years and many engineering firsts. Russ graduated from Ohio University in 1942 with a bachelor of science in electrical engineering. At the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., he helped build the world’s first high-voltage, RF-generated power supply, later used in every television set.

During WWII, he designed data collection equipment for the first U.S. post-war nuclear tests and traveled to Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands to witness the explosions. He also oversaw development of the first electronic control system for large diesel generators, resulting in two patents. At Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, he invented a firing error indicator to measure the precise distance by which an aircraft gun misses its target and then adjusts the gun in time for the next shot. In the early 1950s, he and his beloved wife, Dolores, founded Knollwood Electronics and developed the first known transistorized wireless electric guitar.

In 1955, they founded Dayton’s Systems Research Laboratories (SRL), which grew into one of the world’s largest and most productive, independent engineering and technology research firms. In the early space program days, SRL helped select the first astronauts and test space suits. The company also created a blood pressure monitoring instrument that became the basis for the central monitoring of multiple blood pressures in hospitals, and later achieved milestones in lasers, chemical warfare shelters and artificial intelligence. Russ later managed his own consulting firm, Russ Venture Group.

During his career, he was appointed by President Gerald Ford to the President’s Committee on Science to study national science, technology and engineering policies. Russ also served on many corporate and civic boards, including the Ohio University Board of Trustees, Foundation Board of Trustees and Russ College Board of Visitors, and those of Wright State University and the Ohio Commodores. He received many national and state accolades, including the E. J. Nutter Award presented on “Fritz Russ Day” in Greene County, Ohio, the naming of the Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ College of Engineering and Technology at Ohio University, the naming of the Fritz and Dolores Russ Engineering Center at Wright State University, an honorary doctorate in engineering from Ohio University, and the Ohio University Medal of Merit, Alumnus of the Year Award, and Founders Citation.

An avid ham radio enthusiast and private pilot, he was a lifelong champion of engineering education, establishing the National Academy of Engineering’s Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize with his wife in the ’90s. One of the world’s top three engineering prizes, the Russ Prize recognizes outstanding achievement in an engineering field that contributes to the advancement engineering and improves the human condition. He and his wife were most generous benefactors to Cedarville University, Ohio University and Wright State University. Dr Russ established a fund for the Dayton Section IEEE for an annual award to an outstanding candidate

Memorials John Kraus & Chen-To Tai

To those in the electromagnetics community. The IEEE Antennas & Propagation Society has suffered two great losses in the past month.

John Kraus (OSU Professor Emeritus, pioneer in radio astronomy, famous for the "Big Ear," his texts in antenna theory, and amateur radio operator W8JK) passed away July 18, 2004.

Also, Chen-To Tai (U of M Professor Emeritus, known for his many contributions to vector analysis, Dyadic Green's functions, and mathematics in field theory) passed away July 30, 2004. Many persons had the privilege to meet, study under, or collaborate with them, and their contributions to our field and to our Society were (and will continue to be) huge.

Memorial for Irving Mayer

Irving Mayer died on the evening of March 25th, 2004 at the Harborside Nursing Home in Troy, Ohio. He was 90 years old. Irving was born in Atlanta Georgia, Oct. 5th 1913. He served in the Army in Italy during the Second World War. He lived most of his life in Fairborn, working at Wright Patterson Air Force Base as an electronics engineer. After his retirement he became active in Ohio State Science Days and was an enthusiastic supporter of local conservation organizations. He served on the Boards of Directors of the Glen Helen Association and the Dayton Museum of Natural History.

Memorial for Daniel Keith Mevis

Local IEEE Member, Daniel Keith Mevis, passed away on Friday March 21st at WPAFB Medical Center. If desired, contributions may be made to the National Morrow Donor Program, The National Foundation www.themarrowfoundation.org or the National Transplant Assistance Fund, NTAF Stem Cell Transplant Fund www.transplantfund.org in Daniel's memory.

Memorial for Walt Nolte

Walt Nolte passed away unexpectedly in February 2002. Walt was a key member of Dayton Section IEEE and served on its Executive Committee for several years. He arrived in Dayton in 1960, already a four-year member of AIEE American Institute of Electrical Engineers. In 1963, he joined McGraw-Hill Information Systems where he was involved with coordinating the selected expertise of the U.S. Science/Technology community with information evaluation requirements of the Foreign Technology Division of the Air Force Systems Command (FTD). Walt was elected as the Dayton Section IEEE Chairman in 1978 and has continued to be an active member throughout the years. For the last several years, he was the Section's Affiliate Council representative at the Dayton Engineer's club. He also served as the Section's primary contact point with IEEE headquarters for coordinating and maintaining the Section's membership list and mailing information.

We, who served with Walt at various Dayton Section IEEE meetings and functions, were frequently guided by Walt 's vast experience and knowledge of details that formed the history of our Section.

Memorial for John "Jack" Cannon

Jack Cannon passed away on Saturday, June 30, 2001 at his residence. He seemed to be in good health when he retired for the night, but never woke up in the morning. Jack was born on July 30, 1926, in Ironton, Ohio. He served during WWII aboard the U.S.S. Vinton in the Pacific Fleet. He was a graduate of Miami University with a B.A. in Physics in 1950 and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1973. Jack was an active member of the Dayton Section IEEE for the past several years, having served through all the chairs and was the Section Chairman in 1998. During the last two years he was the driving force toward getting the executive committee of IEEE to approve an Electronic Engineering Milestone Award for NCR Building 26, which housed the U.S. Naval Computing Machine Laboratory during World War II. This was the site of highly classified research, development and manufacturing work performed to crack the German coding machine Enigma, which includes the contributions of women tasked to the war effort (WAVES) (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) Jack retired in 1992 after 41 years of distinguished civilian service at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in planning, research and development. Jack's final assignment from 1987 to 1992, involved cementing a civilian technology transfer initiative between WPAFB's Aeronautical Systems Center, the State of Ohio and area colleges and universities. For his work in this area, he was bestowed the award for Meritorious Civilian Service by the Dept. of the Air Force and recognized by, then, Governor Richard F. Celeste. Jack was known to approach his earthly life with great purpose, conviction, self-assuredness, curiosity, wisdom, humor, humility, thankfulness and peace.

 Memorial for Lt. Col. Charles Brothers

Memorial for Jerry Duchene

MEMORIAL FOR 

NATARAJ S. NATARAJ