Diogenes James Angelakos (July 3, 1919 – June 7, 1997) was an American electrical engineer and professor emeritus of electronic engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, who served as the director of the Electronics Research Laboratory for 20 years. He is credited with building up the research group into one of the university's biggest research labs. He is considered a pioneer in the fields of microwaves, antennas and electromagnetic waves.

Engineering career

He graduated from University of Notre Dame with a BS in electrical engineering in 1942 and his MS (1946) and PhD (1950) in the same field from Harvard University. In 1964, he was appointed director of the Electronics Research Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. He was a Fellow, and later a Life Fellow, of the

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...

and an honorary member of the Hellenic Physical Society. Among his awards were the "Greek Independence Medal for Technical Assistance to Greek Science", the "Axion Award of the Hellenic-American Professional Society of California" and an award from the Directors of the Joint Services Electronic Program of the United States Department of Defense. He was also recipient of the Berkeley Citation, Berkeley University's highest award.

Unabomber

On July 2, 1982, Angelakos was the victim of a pipe bomb left by Ted Kaczynski, the "Unabomber", at an electrical engineering and computer science faculty lounge in Cory Hall. He was injured in the face and right hand, but recovered nearly completely. After surgery he was able to re-learn how to write, but the

powder burn A powder burn is a type of burn caused by exposure to the combustion gases which are expelled from the muzzle of a firearm as it is fired. Powder burns only occur when the individual is in close proximity to the discharging firearm, as the gases q ...

s left by the bomb were permanent. Fourteen years on, he expressed bafflement at the bomber's motives, saying that "If someone has a message to give to the world, you can't get it across by killing people. I just don't understand him at all. He must have some mental problems." Three years later, he was among the first people on the scene and administered first aid when another of Kaczynski's bombs exploded and injured Berkeley graduate student John E. Hauser, a U.S. Air Force captain. Angelakos used his

necktie A necktie, or simply a tie, is a piece of cloth worn for decorative purposes around the neck, resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat, and often draped down the chest. Variants include the ascot, bow, bolo, zipper tie, cra ...

as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding in Hauser's arm.

Personal life

Angelakos was born in Chicago. His wife Helen Hatzilambrou died on August 1, 1982, after 36 years of marriage, and he had two children. He died of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

at his home in Berkeley in 1997. He was a adherent of the Greek Orthodox Church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Angelakos, Diogenes James 1919 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American engineers American electrical engineers Electrical engineering academics Engineers from Illinois Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences alumni Microwave engineers Survivors of terrorist attacks UC Berkeley College of Engineering faculty Unabomber targets Notre Dame College of Engineering alumni Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from prostate cancer