Mark Victor Rosenker, 73, former National Transportation Safety Board chair, died of brain cancer Saturday in Alexandria, Virginia. A retired Air Force Reserve officer, Rosenker was director of the White House Military Office under President George W. Bush and was traveling with the president on Air Force One on Sept. 11, 2001. He was longtime vice president-public affairs at the Electronic Industries Alliance, the trade group that preceded CTA, and was a transportation safety consultant to CBS News. CTA President Gary Shapiro praised Rosenker as a “close friend and valued colleague.” Wife survives. Donations may be made to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation for Sept. 11 heroes or the TAPS organization to support military survivors. A memorial service will be streamed live Friday at 11 a.m. on the Facebook page of the National Funeral Home in Falls Church, Virginia. Burial with full military honors will follow at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery.
Matt Brennesholtz, 73, longtime contributor to Insight Media and its Display Daily news service, died suddenly Aug. 2 at his Pleasantville, New York, home. Brennesholtz had a long career with Philips, working as an optical engineer on many types of display technologies, before joining Insight in the early 2000s. “His keen intellect, probing questions, passion for technology and folksy writing style made his contributions a must-read,” said Insight President Chris Chinnock. Survivors include his wife and three daughters.
Sumner Redstone, 97, chairman emeritus of ViacomCBS and CEO of controlling shareholder National Amusements, died Tuesday at his Los Angeles home. He was executive chairman of Viacom’s board for nearly 30 years and was the content company’s CEO from 1996 until 2005, said ViacomCBS. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai called Redstone, famous for the quote “content is king,” a “longtime legend.” Redstone was “a brilliant visionary, operator and dealmaker, who single-handedly transformed a family-owned drive-in theater company into a global media portfolio,” said ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish. Survivors include his two children.
Jerry Kowitz, 80, co-founder of AV specialty retailer Jerry's Audio/Video, died Sunday in Phoenix of natural causes. Kowitz launched Jerry’s Audio Exchange in Tempe, Arizona, in 1970 with his wife, Claudia, promoting it with the tagline, “Buy, Sell or Trade.” They later expanded to Phoenix and Tucson markets, and the retail locations remained in operation until 2009. Jerry’s was one of the first nationwide dealers to implement custom installation. Kowitz was a founding member of Home Theater Specialists of America and its chairman until 2008. Besides wife Claudia, survivors include sons Michael and Paul and four grandchildren.
Mark Hurd, 62, Oracle co-CEO, died Friday, according to founder Larry Ellison. He had taken medical leave in September. Survivors include his wife and two daughters. The company declined to disclose further details. "He understood broadband’s power to change lives," said USTelecom CEO Jonathan Spalter.
John Paul Stevens, 99, retired Supreme Court justice who wrote the majority opinion in the landmark 5-4 Sony Betamax decision that established fair-use precedents for consumer video recording devices, died Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale of complications from a stroke he suffered Monday. Stevens authored the finding in 1984 that the Betamax VCR was capable of “commercially significant noninfringing uses,” and that “even the unauthorized home time-shifting” of broadcast TV programs was “legitimate” fair use. In the opinion he wrote, Stevens singled out the lower-court trial testimony of Fred Rogers, creator and star of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Rogers “testified that he had absolutely no objection to home taping for noncommercial use and expressed the opinion that it is a real service to families to be able to record children’s programs and to show them at appropriate times,” said the opinion. “RIP Justice Stevens,” tweeted CTA President Gary Shapiro Tuesday evening. “Your majority opinion in the 1984 Sony-Betamax case was the Magna Carta for innovation and spurred investment, exploration and creativity, leading the US to be a global leader in the internet and technology.” Stevens served nearly 35 years on the court before retiring in 2010. Two daughters and nine grandchildren survive.
Wilfred Schwartz, 91, Federated Group founder and chairman and 2015 Consumer Technology Hall of Fame inductee (see 1504150026), died Jan. 17 in Rancho Mirage, California, after a long illness. Schwartz opened the first Federated store in 1970, expanding the chain to 67 stores throughout the Southwest, Texas and Kansas by the time he sold the company to Atari in 1987. Schwartz described his 20,000-square-foot "superstore" in Orange County, California, as a "cornucopia filled with the most overwhelming selection of audio, video, personal electronics and accessories ever assembled under a single retail roof" -- all deeply discounted. "Most people in our industry at that time believed that we were crazy and that we were opening a format that was too unorthodox to succeed," Schwartz later said. Federated's legacy under his watch was the sale of low-margin commodity CE goods alongside higher-profit limited-distribution AV products not available through his competitors. Survivors include his wife and three daughters. Memorial plans will be announced later. Gary Shapiro, CTA CEO, emailed us Monday that Schwartz "grew the first Federated store in LA to 60+ locations that had an unprecedented selection of consumer electronics products, creating the first superstore concept.”
Bob Gerson, 85, founding editor of Twice magazine and Consumer Technology Hall of Fame inductee, died Thursday at his Tarrytown, New York, home. Before joining Twice in 1987, Gerson for nearly 20 years worked as half of the New York duo with Dave Lachenbruch producing the consumer electronics coverage for Television Digest, the predecessor publication of Consumer Electronics Daily. Lachenbruch died in 1996. CTA President Gary Shapiro hailed Gerson Saturday as “special,” as well as “candid and tough but graceful and honest.” Gerson “defined journalism in our industry,” and now joins “legends” like Lachenbruch “who cover tech and innovation where angels thrive,” said Shapiro. Gerson's survivors include his wife, Barbara.
Perry Clay, the first American president of Sharp Electronics, died Oct. 2 at 80. Clay retired from Sharp in 2000 after 17 years. He's survived by his wife, two children and five grandchildren. Arrangements were private. Contributions may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or the Alzheimer's Association (in support of his wife, Joanne).
Joseph Flaherty, 87, former CBS senior vice president-technology and widely heralded as the “father of HDTV,” died Tuesday in Greenport, New York. Flaherty organized the first HDTV demonstrations for the Hollywood production community at the February 1981 SMPTE technical conference, and his efforts led to his appointment as planning committee chairman of the FCC’s Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service. Flaherty’s work made the U.S. “the first country in the world to convert to a digital HDTV system,” blogged Robert Seidel, CBS vice president-engineering and advanced technology, Wednesday. “Television viewers around the globe are still benefiting from the technology innovations of Joe Flaherty,” said Seidel. Broadcasters “have lost a friend and broadcast innovators have lost a true legend” with Flaherty’s passing, said NAB President Gordon Smith. “As broadcasters prepare to bring American consumers the wonders of Next Generation Television, we honor the life, legacy and extraordinary accomplishments of Joe Flaherty.” People around the world today “enjoy a richer TV viewing experience than ever, in no small part because of Joe's focus on excellence,” said CTA President Gary Shapiro of Flaherty, a 2009 Consumer Technology Hall of Fame inductee. Flaherty's survivors include his wife and five children. A funeral Mass is planned for 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Agnes Church in Greenport, New York, said Seidel.