David W. Sterner, well known for his contributions to the EMC Society, died suddenly at age 64 in Cozumel, Mexico on Friday, May 29, 2009. An avid scuba diver of many years standing, he came up from his second dive of the day and collapsed. All attempts at resuscitation proved futile. David served the Long Island IEEE community as Vice Chair for the Electromagnetic Compatibility Society in 2004 and as its Chairman in 2005. At the time of his death, he was serving as editor for The Pulse, the newsletter for the IEEE Long Island section.
David was born and reared in Ohio, and earned his BS in mathematics from Findlay College in Findlay, OH and a MS in engineering from the University of Toledo. He subsequently took courses at Rutgers University in planar silicon technology, at SUNY Stony Brook in silicon device processing, and at the Polytechnic Institute of NYU in computer system reliability and computer network reliability. His professional life included stints at RCA and at General Instrument Microelectronics Division. He spent 20 years at Standard Microsystems in Hauppauge, NY. He spent the last 10 years at Honeywell International in Syosset, NY, where he implemented EMC test procedures for FCC and international compliance. He is survived by his sister Dr. Mary Sterner Lawson and his brother Robert Sterner. A moving tribute by LI Chairperson Santo Mazzola can be found on page 4 on the current issue of The Pulse.
