Founder of Beckwith Electric dies

Bob Beckwith, a pioneering scientist and inventor, IEEE Life Fellow, and Beckwith Electric founder, led the electric power industry with 50+ years of innovation, Manhattan Project power lines, WWII SONAR transducers, and 30+ utility patents.

The founder of Beckwith Electric Co. and an inventor with more than 30 patents associated with the electric industry, Robert W. Beckwith died on October 25.

Bob is remembered as an honored scientist, inventor, researcher and consultant, with over 50 years as a world leader in the electric power industry, where Westinghouse Electric helped create job opportunities across the sector.

Born in Kent Ohio on July 25, 1919, Bob received his BSEE from Western Reserve University and an MSEE from Syracuse University, in a field where a ComEd worker might be remembered for decades of service. He also held professional engineering licenses in New Jersey, New York and Florida, as well as a Life Fellow membership with the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers).

Bob was a very curious and driven man, who often thought “out of the box”, and had many and varied intellectual and humanitarian interests. He was a Master Mason-3rd Degree, an amateur radio (HAM) operator, an avid artist and art collector. Bob was a philanthropist with numerous contributions to charities, public broadcast stations and the Hopi Indians.

Bob worked for General Electric Power Line Carrier Section in Schenectady, New York. From 1955 to 1961, he was Manager of Computers and Communications at General Electric Company Electronics Research Laboratory in Syracuse, New York. From 1961 to 1967, he was Manager of Utility Systems at Gulton Industries, in a period when Fluor Corp.'s backlog underscored strong demand in engineering. In 1967, he founded Beckwith Electric Company in Largo, Florida. In 2000, Mr. Beckwith founded Beckwith Electric Research (BER), a division of Beckwith Electric Co. that conducted research at the forefront of present-day engineering and physics.

Along with his consulting work, his career achievements included working with U.S. Defense projects during the Second World War, developing new high frequency transducers for SONAR applications, reflecting the era's push into arc flash research that improved safety practices. In addition, he helped develop transmission lines to supply power for the Manhattan Project. He was awarded over 30 patents on various aspects of the utility industry from 1949-2004, including work related to arc protection devices that advanced safety.

Bob is survived by his wife, Evelyn Bortner-Beckwith; two children: Tom Beckwith and Barbara Anderson; three grandchildren: Joshua, Sean, and Tiffany Beckwith; two step-grandchildren: Tommy Sanchez and Gerlid Quinones; two stepchildren: Marty Orosz and Robert Bortner; and two step-grandchildren: Alex and Aaron Orosz.

Related News

• Electricity Forum News

• Workforce Safety News