Obituary of Dr. Lester Alen Gerhardt
Dr. Lester Alan Gerhardt
The Gerhardt family, colleagues and friends mourn the loss of Lester Alan Gerhardt, 78, husband, father, grandfather, scholar and mentor to many.
Lester, “Les” to all who knew him, was a great man from the greatest generation. Born in the Bronx on January 28, 1940, he graduated from City College of New York, and earned a doctorate from the University of Buffalo. Years later, Les was honored to serve on the School of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council and was awarded the UB Distinguished Alumni Award.
Les’ professional accomplishments span his 50-year career as an electrical engineer and professor. Working at Bell Aerospace in Buffalo, Les was awarded a number of patents and helped develop the visual simulation for the first lunar module used to train Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Meeting Aldrin years later, Les laughed when he learned the astronauts felt the controller he designed was a bit sensitive.
Always an educator, Les dedicated 46 years mentoring hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He often said the stimulation, challenge and rewarding feedback from his students both past and current made each day a joy.
Holding roles as Chair of Electric and Computer Systems Engineering, Associate Dean of Engineering, and Interim Associate Vice President of Research Administration and Finance, Les never said he went to work – instead, he went “to school.” He enjoyed learning from his students as much as teaching them. His students brought to life scores of projects he helped develop in the field of digital signal processing, including voice recognition used in many modern devices. His research and mentoring have touched lives across the globe.
Les received countless awards for his work and contributions to engineering education, at RPI and globally. Too numerous to recount, among them is an honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Denmark, the Townsend Harris Medal by the City College of New York awarded in 2015, and, most recently, recognition for his outstanding work as senior advisor to the Institute of International Education.
But by far his proudest achievement and joy was his family. Les met his bride, Karen, at the Swan Lake Hotel in the Catskills. Meeting as childhood sweethearts, Les liked to joke that the movie “Dirty Dancing” was their story. Their romance thrived during 57 years of marriage, celebrated September 2nd.
He cherished his sons, Brian and Douglas, and daughter-in-law Joan. But the greatest blessing in his life was his grandsons, Mitchell and Zachary. Perhaps because he was always a kid at heart, he relished everything he did with the boys – and it was a lot. They waterskied (Les showing them how well into his 70s), played golf and tennis, and reinvigorated his childhood passion for model trains. He and the boys would spend hours building the very same train set Les played with as a child.
Les was blessed on his final day when Zach, a junior in high school, played Kol Nidre for him on the cello. The ear-to-ear grin that resulted will stay with all, as he will, forever. Mitch, an electrical engineering student at Virginia Tech, gave Les his most enduring gift, a college essay he wrote about his mentor before his grandfather became ill. “From a young age, he helped foster my curiosity and my perception of what is possible,” he wrote. “Helpful, caring, humanitarian, and simply brilliant, I can learn a tremendous amount from my grandfather, and I hope to emulate the qualities he has instilled in me with my mentees.”
Les left this world too soon but left it a better place. He led a life well lived and he was loved.
Friends and colleagues are welcome to attend services with the family at Congregation Gates of Heaven, 852 Ashmore Avenue in Schenectady on Sunday, September 23, 2018 at 1:00 PM. Interment will be private for the immediate family.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Lester and Karen Gerhardt Scholarship, in care of University of Buffalo Foundation, P.O. Box 730 Buffalo, NY 14226-0730 or the Lester and Karen Gerhardt Scholarship, care of Advancement Office, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th St. Troy, NY 12180
