Robert Lewis Riddle 1922-1980

RIDDLE, FOSTER, STOVER

Posted By: Connie Swearingen- Volunteer (email)
Date: 2/6/2013 at 18:27:46

Onawa Democrat
27 March 1980

Funeral services for Mr. Riddle, 57, who died at Centre Community Hospital Tuesday February 19th were held at the Koch Funeral Home in State College, Penn., Saturday 23rd with the Rev. Bruce
D. Fisher officiating.

Burial was in Gray's Cemetery Stormstown, Penn. Friends were received at the funeral home Friday evening from 6 to 9.

Mr. Riddle was co-founder and president of Locus, Inc. of Boalsburg.

He was born October 28, 1922 in Smithland Iowa, the son of Ingersoll J. and Emma I. Foster Riddle.

On April 15, 1954 he was married to the former Margaret Stover, who survives with two daughters, Deborah Ann Ross and Patricia Jean Riddle, both of State College. Also surviving are four sisters, Ruby Nelson of Ingelwood, Calif., E. Pauline Stueland, of Onawa, Iowa; Eva L. Plautz of Ashland, Neb.; and Betty J. Wiskell of Des Moines, Iowa; and one brother Donald E. Riddle of Iowa, City,Iowa.

Mr. Riddle received his BS degree in 1949 and his MS degree in 1951, both in electrical engineering from the State University of Iowa. He also did graduate work at that University from 1954 through 1955.

From 1951 through 1956, Mr. Riddle was associated with the Bell Telephone Laboratories, the David Sarnoff Research Center, Collins Radio Company, and with Dr. James van Allen's team at the University of Iowa on the application of solid state devices for space borne radiation experiments.

From 1951 through 1963 Mr. Riddle was employed by Penn State as assistant professor of
electrical engineering and senior engineer to the head of the department of electrical engineering. He introduced courses on transistors into the Penn State curriculum and offered special seminars for graduate engineers in the field of solid state physics and circuits. He simulated the radiation environment of space in the research reactor at Penn State and studied the effects of nuclear radiation on transistors and other components. He supervised the design and construction of automatic electric intercept systems.

In 1963 Mr Riddle became vice president of HRB-Singer, Inc. State College, where he directed the activities of the Electromagnetic Systems Division in the design and development of airborne, spacebome, and ground-based electronic SIGINT systems. From 1968 until the present time he served as president of Locus, Inc. Boalsburg.

He was co-author of "Transistor Physics and Circuits", and in 1958 was granted a patent on a proportional gate circuit.

He was an Air Force veteran of World War II and the Korean conflict He was a member of Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu and Sigma Xi honorary faternities. He was a member of the Institute of Radio Engineers, American Society of Engineers, the Association of Old Crows, the Air Force Association and the Association of the United States Army. He was a member of Triangle Social fraternity. He was a member of St. Paul'S Methodist Church and was co-founder and president of Live for Today (LIFT).

Memorial contributions may be made to the Leukemia Society of America, Western Pennsylvania chapter, 1614 Clark Bldg. 717 Liberty Ave. Pittsburg 15222.