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Allen Katz
1942 – 2024
Allen Katz, 81, of West Windsor, NJ, passed away peacefully surrounded by Sally, his beloved wife of 55.9672 years and daughters Alisha and Tova at 04:32 am on Thursday, June 20.
Allen was born on November 25th, 1942 to Norma and Max Katz of Verona, NJ and wanted to be an engineer from a very early age. An amateur radio operator since 13, Allen holds multiple world records in experimental high-frequency radio communications and was instrumental in pioneering EME, or Earth Moon Earth, communications.
A distinguished professor of Electrical Engineering at The College of New Jersey, Allen has taught and mentored thousands of students in his 54 years there. Prior to starting a successful satellite communications business, Allen was an IEEE Fellow, holds multiple aerospace/communications patents and has been a consultant to many aerospace projects and programs with Bell Labs, Martin Marietta, Lockheed Martin and RCA Aerospace.
He is survived by his wife Sally, sister Joan, daughters Alisha and Tova, grandchildren Shanti, Sandeep, Noa, Leora, Jack and nephew Joseph.
Funeral services are Friday, June 21, at 12:00 noon at Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel, 1534 Pennington Road, Ewing, NJ. Following the service, he will be laid to rest in Beth El-Perrineville Jewish Cemetery in Millstone Township, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Allen’s name to The College of New Jersey School of Engineering at https://crowdfunding.tcnj.edu/campaigns/electrical-engineering-2026
Allen was a wonderful colleague and friend. He was involved in many creative projects, among them stewardship of the Sarnoff Collection, a gift to TCNJ from the Sarnoff family.
John C. Pollock, Prof. of Communication Studies and Public Health, TCNJ
Thank you for being such a great leader during Senior Project Dr. Katz. Thank you for taking so much time to run the program, to email all of us students, and to always be available to talk one-on-one. You were always very nice to talk to and dedicated yourself so much to the engineering program (and its students) at TCNJ. Rest well.
So sorry to hear about Al. He was a personal friend, wonderful colleague and a strong supporter of our program. He was the first non-education trained faculty member hired in the school as the newly formed Department of Engineering Technology was formed in the early 70’s.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Sally and their family.
I knew Allen all the way back to childhood; we lived just one block away in Verona, although I was two years older. Of course we reacquainted at the college. He was a magnificent professor and a prime example of what a good human being should be.
I only knew Al for the past year, but quickly learned how thoughtful, generous, funny, curious and creative he was, a leader for his students, alumni, friends and colleagues and a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He will be so missed by so many. To the Moon (and back)!
Al was a great person to work with @ RCA. He was very friendly, helpful and kind. It was a pleasure knowing him and I will miss him at the.IMS ham socials. I am sorry for your loss Sally/Family and you all are in my prayers.
73 Al,
Bob
W4RST SK
Dr. Katz, besides being my friend and mentor, was one of the most influential persons in my life. His engineering expertise was legendary. He taught in a kind and gentle manner with such a fervor for his students’ success. It was such an honor to witness his brilliance in the classroom and his witty sense of humor as he prepared us for our engineering careers.
I am so happy he knows about my recent endowment at TCNJ that specifically honors him. It was a privilege to be taught by him and an honor to have known him.
From now on when I look at the moon…I will bounce my heartfelt feelings and gratitude to you Dr. Katz.
Al was a superstar teacher and mentor. His tests were brutal but everyone liked him. Following him to GE was enlightening and allowed seeing the his professionalism and the crazy antenna on his car. Many memories and much respect. He was one of a kind
TSC and Armstrong Hall will sorely miss Al Katz. As a member of his graduating class of 1974, I still have fond memories of my day’s sitting in his many electronics classes that he taught. I was fortunate to reconnect with Al through TCF. I am truly glad that I had the opportunity to learn from him and sad that he is gone.
I am truly saddened to hear of Al’s passing, we have known each other for a long time and we both served on the Engineering Department Industry Advisory Board. Al was like the Energizer Bunny he just kept on running and had energy to spare. He was totally dedicated to his students and the college. He provided Internships to students through Linearizer and guided them through their education and beyond. We always found stuff to talk about as we were both Ham Radio Operators and graduates of Newark College of Engineering. He will truly be missed by everyone who knew him. He was a true gentleman that was always willing to help out and share his knowledge. Rest In Peace Old Friend, Amen. My sincere condolences to his Wife, Daughters and Family.
Al was a dear friend. I always looked to him for his tech knowledge. It started when I bought my science class to his basement so the children could bounce their voice off the moon! I will always remember he aways remembered to bring wine when the 4 of us dined out!! On so many levels….he was a wonderful person and a dear friend…..will be missed always.
Dr. Katz was a wonderful teacher and mentor. I was the first student to join the Electronic Program Dr. Katz founded at TCNJ in 1971 then called Trenton State College. I will aways credit Dr. Katz with my success in adult life and family.
All my respect and thank you Dr. Katz.
Allen had been a wonderful friend to me and to my husband and he will be sorely missed. He had always been there for me in good times and bad. He was a great conversationalist and had a wide range of interests beyond engineering (was a history buff); and a wonderful host as well. Allen really knew how to throw a party! He and Sally welcomed my husband and I with open arms when we moved here from New York and knew no one. Allen treated everyone he met with respect and dignity and always made them feel special. He always made a great impression on everyone who came in contact with him. I will treasure my memories of him always
I was part of the new BSEET program back in the 70’s. Al was always supportive as a teacher and as a friend. My wife named him as Godfather to my two girls. While still in school I would go to stay with him at his parents house for the holidays and help his parents assembling bicycles for their holiday sales. Did many road trips with him to put states on the map for his Moon bounce expeditions. Always had fun as new learning experiences unfolded in front of me. Was part of the team moving his 30 foot radio dish from telegraph hill to his house. Not an easy task! With the space program at its peak we spent hours with him listening to the astronauts talking to NASA. Not by connecting with NASA like you can do today, but by pointing an antenna to the sky and receiving them direct and uncensored.
Every task ended with a treat of Ice Cream. Never miss the Ice Cream!
I will dearly miss Al. He was a big part of making me the person I grew up to be.
Positive thoughts and prayers to Sally and the rest of his family. Sally was always supporting Al and everyone he associated with.
I knew Al as K2UYH, a ham operator that seemed to have excellent microwave signals to communicate with me in Rhode Island via radio. When I later moved to the Philadelphia area, we met in person and over the years he got me fully engaged in moonbounce communication, something that he championed, using the moon as a reflector for UHF and microwave signals to communicate with other hams around the world. I was able to share the operation of his unique and powerful amateur radio station with him. He was a giant among the international ham radio community and was the editor of the EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) Newsletter. Aside from his professorship at TCNJ, he headed up the Trenton Computerfest for many years and ran his company, Linearizer Technologies. My wife Jani and I were together with them at many of the international EME meetings, including one he hosted in the past at TCNJ. He leaves a great legacy to those whom he taught and the ham radio community. We send our condolences to Sally and Allen’s family.
The program Dr. Katz set up and his devotion to his students success speak volumes for the great person he was. As a 1976 grad of his program, I am eternally thankful for his efforts and owe my career successes to him and all he instilled in us all. So many of his students went on to careers with great industry leading companies. He had a profound influence in the electronics and computer industry. Thank you for enabling so much.
I am so sad to learn of the passing of my friend and colleague Al Katz. Herman and I enjoyed his company and his wisdom for many years. Baruch Dayan Haemet.
I was so surprised and saddened to read of Dr. Katz’s passing. He was a one-man institution at The College of New Jersey, a titan in his field, a teacher and mentor who led by example, with unfathomable energy and endless optimism. As my professor many years ago, Dr. Katz literally set the trajectory of my entire career: coaching me to land my first ECE internship, advising my senior design project, motivating me to pursue an advanced degree, introducing me to my eventual thesis advisor, and later serving on my PhD dissertation panel. What he did for me, he did for many of his students over his incredible career. He epitomized the kind of engineer, and the kind of person, that so many of us aspire to be. Thank you Dr. Katz. I will miss you deeply and remember your kindness forever.
The light of Dr. Katz’s inquisitive spirit is carried forth in all of us who have had the pleasure and privilege to have learned from and worked alongside him. I owe my career to Al, and if not for him I would not be where I am today.
Rest well, my mentor and friend; and we will do our best to carry on your legacy. You are missed.
I knew Al from the Trenton Computer Festival. I am greatly indebted to Al Katz and Sol Libes, co-founders of TCF, for inspiring many of us no-nothings to blossom from the nascent revolution of the Personal Computer. Al was always reachable and responsive to my emails. I can only imagine how much his students benefited from his dedication to teaching and learning.
I’m proud to say I knew you. Rest in peace, Al. Rest in peace!
Over and out!
Allen, Sally, my Mary Ann go back to our teens as amateur radio friends and much more. They don’t make them any better than Allen. The four of us were members of the East Coast VHF Siciety which launched Allen’s and my careers in engineering. I preceeded Allen at NCE three years prior and constantly reconnected through our lives in the profession and our friendship. We purhased our present home from Allen and Sally on a handshake and a shot of Vodka. A great innovator and true friend to be remember for as long I live. Dr Gene Niemiec, K2KJI
Allen was more to me than just a friend, mentor and colleague. Both Al and Sally were family. Al encouraged and guided me to take the leap into the engineering field and I am grateful for this today and every day. Our many nights (usually after midnight) of discussions at Linearizer were memorable. Once a student of his you were always a student. He shared his love of “Moon Bouncing” with my son Stephen who has never forgot this experience. Allen, you touched so many lives and hearts over the decades and for this we ALL are honored and privileged to have known you. Last night on my drive down from Vermont there was both a double rainbow and a big moon and I knew you were with us all. Rest in peace my friend. Sally, Alisha,Tova and family I extend my deepest condolences for your loss.
Liz Klepner ’86 TSC
I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Katz at GE Astrospace in the early 1990s and was invited to his home to experience EME communications with his 28′ dish antenna in his back yard. Dr. Katz certainly made the most of his life. He was so very kind and wise. It was a pleasure to have known him. I last saw him at IMS in 2022 in Denver and was pleased that he took a few moments to visit with me at that time. He will truly be missed and leaves a void in a large community of engineers and ham radio operators.
Old hams never die, they just fade away …
73 de Mark, NK8Q
I have fond memories of Al’s cheerful and friendly manners. He was an enthusiastic supporter of our local IEEE organization and events and although he’s physically gone his influence remains. Many engineers that I meet in my work were once students of Dr. Katz and now have careers that will benefit society and their families for a lifetime. I am sad to see him go but like many others, I will continue to enjoy the positive impacts that Al created. Thank you Al.
All the comments say it all
Great person
I will deeply missing you Al. I never forget our nice EME QSOs which we had in my period of EME more than 80 on all bands. RIP Al.
I am so sorry to hear this news. My prayers are with Dr. Katz’s Family. In 1986 I asked Dr. Katz to accept me as a transfer student into his program. He said sure but you need to do two things for me first, Work the upcoming computer festival and take RF & Microwave classes for your electives. Two years later I graduated and have been in the RF & Microwave community for 36 years now. Dr. Katz set me on my career path and for that I’m grateful. Each year at the MTT-S / IMS show I would get the opportunity to have a brief chat with him. I did not get that Opportunity this week at IMS and I have a heavy heart hearing this sad news. Thank you, Dr. Katz…. You will live favorably in my memory forever.
Such a kind and intelligent man, he will surely be missed. He always took the time to help myself and others to apply the knowledge that he gave us into a rewarding engineering career. He was my favorite teacher at TCNJ, thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
Allen Katz was a great professional who was admired by his colleagues as an expert on Power Amplifiers and Linearizers. He always greeted his friends with a warm smile and professional demeanor. It was a pleasure to know Alan. He will be missed. RIP Allen!!
Dr Katz was my teacher and advisor when I attended TSC in the mid to late 80’s. He was kind, caring and always made time for his students. My son, who also attended the college in the electrical engineering program, also had Dr Katz as a teacher and advisor. Having that common connection with Dr Katz allowed us to share many stories and experiences.
A few years ago I was surprised to see Dr Katz at a local HAM club meeting in PA, and an even bigger surprise was that he remembered me. We only spoke briefly, but it brought me back to the days I spent in his office trying to understand some complex concept, to me anyway, and how he took the time to make it make sense.
I will never forget him, and hope this brief comment brings comfort to his family, friends, and students he taught and guided over the many years.
Enrico “Rick” DePaolis KC3HUL
Baruch Dayan Emet. He will be sorely missed. Sending condolences to the family.
Alan katz introduced me to microprocessor computing which led to my long career in the field.
Dr. Katz was the most supportive professor I had. I was a first-term freshman enrolled in his junior-level microcomputers class. I felt totally out of place. I went to talk to him, and he said “Sometimes you don’t know something, and you ask questions. Other times you don’t even know how to formulate the questions.” He let me know that both were ok and gave me some extra help until I caught on. On his desk, he had a little wooden cat that he wrote “RELAX” on. I can only imagine the countless students that saw that cat as they took in his support. The summer after my freshman year, he helped me land a summer internship at a local instrumentation company. He was a great guy, and I was fortunate that he was there to influence and support me so early on.
I had the honor to meet Al and Sally in Toulouse when they visited France and we talked about his EME passion during dinner. He was keen to share his experience with fellow hams. He will miss to the ham community.
RIP Al and my condeleances to Sally and family.
73 de Franck F4CIB
An Amateur Radio friend, fellow teacher, and an IEEE Mentor, Al worked hard at everything he was involved with. So much so that his enthusiasm would rub off on you. He will be missed. 73’s AGO
I’m sorry that I never expressed my deepest respect & love to my most sincere, loyal, caring cousin Allen. His maternal grandparents were the Diamonds of Montclair, NJ & Allen was a pure jewel descended from Mr. & Mrs. (sorry forgot his grandfather’s first name) Diamond. Too, the Katz’s were an important part of the equation.
My most heartfelt condolences to Sally and family,
Cousin Frances Katz—Sekela
I met Sally and Alisha in 1997. It was an instant connection with both. I met Tova and Dr Allen Katz a short time later. What most impressed me about Allen, especially considering his extraordinary cognitive capacity and countless accomplishments, were his boyish enthusiasm, unpretentiousness, and relaxed manner. He was a man with vision on a mission. I always sensed he was in his understated way constantly tapping into depths and pondering them as deeply…and the utter charm of his formidable car antenna brought me mirth every time I saw it…reminding me of the book series I read as a child: Homer Price (Boy Genius). Allen and Sally’s constant warmth, hospitality and quiet generosity toward so many spans decades, continents and individual backgrounds. Thank you Allen for improving the lives of so many through your achievements and example: educating, inspiring, uplifting and encouraging others. You will be missed. Heartfelt condolences to Sally, Alisha and Tova, and families.
Dr. Al Katz is a special type of person. Practical, funny, nurturing and demonstrative. His personality should be packaged and at the root of all who educate engineers. His lectures in school, at TCF and at radio club meetings were always captivating and left you empowered to enjoy the same existential pleasures that radio and computers brought to him. He was selfless and down to earth… a walking mitzvah for all who knew him. I can’t tell you the number of times that I worked Al on 2m SSB a half a state away while he was running around mobile. They were always fun and mercurial. He will be missed.
God bless you Al! K2UYH DE W2TTT (ex-WB2CAM, N2DSY) Gordon Beattie SK
I first got to know Al as a fellow radio amateur. Back in 1980, when the EISCAT ionospheric research organization started to test its newly built 32-m dish antennas, our small radio club got the opportunity to use the Kiruna antenna for a moon bounce experiment. This was a huge challenge for a handful of people with no background in that particular field of amateur radio and no established contacts to experienced moonbouncers. But after some digging Al’s name turned up as a likely contact, and I mailed him, asking for advice. I still have a copy of that letter…
Al wrote back, and we got more than just advice – we got support. He spread the word such that amateurs around the world listened for our signals. We were heard in New Zealand and had many two way contacts; I understand that our experiments were instrumental in boosting similar activities in other countries – but none of this would have happened without Al and his newsletter. We owe him a great debt of gratitude.
Later, my wife and I met Al and Sally at several EME conferences, most recently in Prague in 2022. A fixture on the EME scene, everybody expected him to be around for a long while yet as he offered to host this year’s conference in Trenton. But by then we also knew him as a warm-hearted, down-to-earth person, and It is easy to understand all the kind memories of him as an educator and tutor shared here by his old students. Now he is gone, a great loss both to his professional community and to us radio amateurs, but most of all to his family. Sally, Asta and I think of you and share in your loss.
A small man with a great mind passed away. Al will be remembered by his numerous articles, lessons and talks, joining his academic authority with a practical approach. I was struggling with my 23 cm EME station, based on his stressed dish design, when I approached Al at the EME conference in Venice, 2016. He friendly and patiently counseled the novice. A couple of weeks later I made my first QSO.
Sincere condolences to Sally and the family. My best, Harke, PA0HRK
Lewis Jacobasz, N2HHZ
Al was a friend and colleague @ RCA. He will be remembered for his expertise in many challanging problems. Sending condolences to the family. 73’s
Al was a friend, a mentor and a colleague – both professionally and as an amateur radio operator. I owe him my engineering career in the US; none of it could have been possible without his help in every step of the way. Al helped as many people as he could, providing jobs, opportunities and advice. I was one of those he helped, but there are many, many more. I remember him as an optimist, a very hard worker and a man of extreme persistence in everything he did. He was kind and selfless. 73, my friend, you will be remembered and dearly missed. Marc N2UO …_._
The world has lost a great mind. Although he was only our colleague at MACOM for a short time, he will surely be remmembered for his intellect, work ethic, and most of all his enthusiasm for RF. We’ll always remmember how glowing he was at trade shows, the full size chocolate bars, the multiparty Zoom meetings with customers where we spent way too much time talking about linearizers, and the Amateur Radio Employee Resource Group meetings Al loved to participate in. I wish I could have been so lucky as to have him for a professor and I’m grateful for the time I had to learn from his as a colleague.
73’s, KB1EEJ
My heart ached when I took a bite out of the Hershey’s chocolate bar I received at IMS2024 last week. It was an honor to have known Dr. Katz for 20 years. Dr. Katz always said, “Call me Al”, but I never felt comfortable addressing him so informally, as he is both an elder and a person whom I hold in highest esteem. I will always remember Dr. Katz the engaging storyteller, a fountain of knowledge – the top expert in the field of Linearization, a person who shaped the world through invention, innovation and teaching, and yet also the first person on-site to meticulously set up the LTI booth at all of the Tradeshows.
Al was such a treasure to Engineering, Amateur Radio, and youth. When we needed a facility for our annual Mercer Area District Radio Merit Badge Day, Al arranged for the TCNJ Dept of Engineering to host it during winter break.
Over the past 15 years, his work has resulted in over 500 Scouts being introduced to The College of New Jersey, engineering as a profession, and the fun, science, and magic of Amateur Radio. We will continue these efforts in his memory.
I was shocked and surprised to hear of Al’s passing. Our paths crossed through ACGNJ’s participation as one of the founding and sponsoring organizations of the Trenton Computer Festival, and to a lesser degree, through Amateur Radio.
He will be greatly missed in all our common organizations.
May his memory be for a blessing.
It’s funny how u meet someone, and it feels like u have known each other for years. Thanks Al I’m so happy we met. I truely enjoyed hanging with u at computer festival. Thank you for creating trenton state college radio station WTSR 91.3fm. I have been on WTSR since 1976, so thank u extra much!!!📻🎤🎧
Blessings to your family!!! I got the opportunity to hang with Sally as well.
I recall seeing the ARRL September 1976 QST Magazine with Dr. Katz on the cover in my early years of amateur radio. I thought Moon Bounce as it was known then as a far fetched concept and beyond my capabilities as a teenager that I paid little attention to it. Had I known that Dr Katz was associated with an engineering program at TCNJ I would have found my way to the school. Sorry to have missed you on both accounts Sir.
73’s