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In Memoriam... Kenneth D. Smith |
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| We at the museum regret the passing of Kenneth D. Smith. He was one of the people who made a difference in advancing the technology on which the world has come so much to depend. K.D., as his friends called him, spent his working life at Bell Laboratories. He contributed to many different projects ranging from Proximity Fuses and Radar during World War II, the TD-2 trans-continental microwave relay system, and early development work on transistors. In addition to transistors, K.D. was involved in the Bell Solar Battery project, both in the 1950's, as well as working on the solar cells that went up on Telstar. Other areas that K.D. was able to explore during his service were high frequency transistors, power transistors, varistors, rectifiers, and many other solid state components. He also made an unusual contribution in that he preserved many experimental and development model semiconductor devices and publications from the late 1940's thru the 1960's. These items are the core of "The K.D. Smith Collection". Besides being an excellent innovator, K.D. Smith was a fine human being. Of all of the people I have spoken to about K.D., not a one had a bad thing to say about him. In the following pages you will learn what K.D. was involved with, as well as getting a picture of how his part fit into the entire technological scheme of things. You will also read what some of his co-workers thought of him. Mr. Smith will be missed by his family, his friends, and those who were fortunate to meet him. - EAS |
