Richard J. (Dick) Charles, 84, of Waddington, NY, formerly of Schenectady, NY, passed away peacefully of natural causes on October 26 in Burlington, VT, surrounded by his loved ones.
His interest in materials science may have begun when he worked welding Liberty Ships for the Canadian war effort. He later received the master’s in mining and metallurgy from the University of British Columbia and then was employed in the outback of British Columbia at the El Alamein Gold Mine.
Professor Antoine Marc Gaudin of MIT saw Dick’s master’s thesis and invited Dick to join his group. After receiving his doctorate in 1954, Dr. Charles taught in MIT’s Dept. of Metallurgy until 1957 when he found a position at the General Electric Corporate Research & Development Center in Schenectady, NY, where he stayed until his retirement in 1990.
He had a prolific and illustrious career at GE, working from the lab bench up to Branch Manager and then returning to what he loved most, “the bench.” At last count he held over 25 patents. He co-invented the rare earth Cobalt-Samarium magnet, which made the Sony Walkman, and all of today’s micro sound devices, a reality. He holds the patent on the seal for the Lucalox tube developed by his colleague Robert L. Coble. Lucalox lighting, the sunset streetlights found worldwide, produce three times the light at one-third the energy of their predecessors.
His work was recognized with many awards throughout his career, including the Coolidge Fellowship, one of GE’s highest awards. This award allowed him to return to MIT and teach in DMSE for the year 1974.