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Mourning The Passing Of Two Industry Leaders

Sept. 25, 2003

Bruno O. Weinschel, the founder of Weinschel Engineering, died May 6, 2003 at the age of 83. Originally from Stuttgart, Germany, he received his Doctorate from the Engineering/Technical University of Munich. He moved to the United States from Germany in 1938 and started Weinschel Engineering in 1952. The company grew as a leader of precision attenuators and power measurement equipment before he sold it to the British firm Lucas Aerospace in 1986. (The company subsequently changed hands several times and recently has been acquired by Aeroflex.) Following the sale, Dr. Weinschel continued his research on microwave measurements, establishing a second firm under the Weinschel Associates name. Dr. Weinschel was quite active as a Fellow and Past President of the IEEE; he also served as a member of the President's Committee on the National Medal of Honor. He authored more than 50 technical papers and 20 patents, and is survived by a large family, including 13 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Sadly, on August 7, 2003, Richard S. Kalin, President and CEO of Micronetics (Hudson, NH), was killed in an automobile accident. Kalin was instrumental in the strong performance of Micronetics over the past few years, growing the company through acquisitions. He was responsible for several key acquisitions, with Microwave & Video Systems (Danbury, CT) acquired in 1998, Enon Microwave (Topsfield, MA) being added in 2002, and Microwave Concepts (Fairfield, NJ) being acquired earlier this year. According to Microwaves & RF Special Projects Editor, Pete Conrad, who had met with Kalin several times during the last few years, "Kalin always tried to do the right thing by his people. He always looked on the positive side of any situation, and never the negative, and he was able to foster a team spirit among his people as a result." Following the loss of Kalin, the company's board appointed former Senior Vice President David Robbins as Chief Executive Officer.

Weinschel Engineering ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0CWyaL0Gth0BCpO0AF

Micronetics ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0CWyaL0Gth0BCpP0AG

About the Author

Jack Browne | Technical Contributor

Jack Browne, Technical Contributor, has worked in technical publishing for over 30 years. He managed the content and production of three technical journals while at the American Institute of Physics, including Medical Physics and the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. He has been a Publisher and Editor for Penton Media, started the firm’s Wireless Symposium & Exhibition trade show in 1993, and currently serves as Technical Contributor for that company's Microwaves & RF magazine. Browne, who holds a BS in Mathematics from City College of New York and BA degrees in English and Philosophy from Fordham University, is a member of the IEEE.