Obituary of Beno Sternlicht

NISKAYUNA, NY Beno Sternlicht, 84, of Niskayuna passed away May 6th, 2012. Born in Nowy Sacz, Poland on March 12th, 1928.He was the son of the late Hugo and Helena Anisfeld Sternlicht. He came to Schenectady from Europe in the late 1940's after escaping the Holocaust with $ 100.00 in his pocket. He went on to earn a series of degrees; a bachelors in electrical engineering from Union College, and a masters degree in applied mechanics and a PhD in energy conversion at Columbia University. Following his education he founded several companies. Sternlicht was a child when his mother was killed in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. Most of his family did not survive the war. Sternlicht and his father escaped from Nazi-held Poland, traveling through Russia, Turkey, Palestine, and Iraq before settling in India He had been a manager at General Electric Company, heavily involved in guiding and financing startup companies, leaving in 1961 to co-found Mechanical Technology Inc; which manufactures testing and measuring instruments, in Albany, NY. . He also served as the company's chairman of the board. Sternlicht retired from MTI's board of directors in 2005. He also served as chairman of the Comfortex Corp. He was philanthropic, creating the Lisben fund with his wife, Lisa Sternlicht. He also founded Volunteers in Technical Assistance, a non-profit organization that has provided technological and engineering assistance to developing countries for four decades. Sternlicht served as its president of the organization. After his retirement from MTI, Sternlicht continued to be active in business, participating in the running of businesses, including his own Benjosh Management Associates in New York, as well as Arben International in Russia. He also mentored entrepreneurs in Israel. He was honored by the Schenectady B'nai B'rith's Service Award and received the Machine Design Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1966. He was a devoted advocate for the adoption of Stirling external combustion engine technology, which he saw as a solution to the global energy crisis. A world traveler, Sternlicht had a passion for art, fine dining, international travel and was intensely interested in other people. For many years, he was an avid skier. He held several patents and co-authored The Theory of Hydrodynamic Lubrication. He was an adviser in the Carter and Reagan administrations and chairman of the NASA Committee on Space Power and Propulsion from 1972 to 1975. He also served as an advisor on energy issues to Israel, the People's Republic of China and India. Sternlicht is survived by his wife of 37 years, Lisa, and sons, Aaron and Joshua. He also leaves extended family and friends throughout the World. Services at Congregation Agudat Achim, 2117 Union Street Schenectady, NY on Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 11:00am. Friends and relatives are respectfully invited to attend. Those wishing to remember Beno in a special way may make a memorial contribution to Schenectady Free Health Clinic, 600 Franklin St, Suite 205, Schenectady, NY 12305. Interment will follow services in the Agudat Achim Cemetery in Rotterdam, NY.