James "Jim" U. Lemke (December 26, 1929 - February 22, 2019) was an American physicist and entrepreneur who lived in San Diego. He developed magnetic recording and internal combustion engine technologies.San Diego Union-Tribune: James Lemke ObituaryB. Altermatt, "Jim Lemke, he's retired, but ... ", The Recorder, Kodak, Feb 1986"After nearly 40 years, Jim Lemke is still trailblazing", The Headliner series, p. 6, circa 1987
Lemke started six high-tech research & development companies, owned and flew multiple airplanes and was awarded more than 114 U.S. and foreign patents in the fields of information theory, magnetic materials, information storage devices, aviation, and internal combustion engines.
He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering,https://www.nae.edu/27744/Dr-James-U-Lemke Dr. James U. Lemke Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Fellow of Eastman Kodak Research Laboratories, Senior Fellow of the California Council on Science and Technology, and a Member of the American Physical Society.https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sandiegouniontribune/obituary.aspx?n=james-u-lemke&pid=191785690 James U. Lemke
Background and education Lemke was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on December 26, 1929. He was the son of Andrew Lemke, a Congregationalist minister.
Lemke earned his undergraduate degree in physics from Illinois Institute of Technology in 1959, his master's degree in physics (Woodrow Wilson Fellow) from Northwestern University in 1960, and his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from U.C. Santa Barbara in 1966. He credits Bill Mahavier and John Neuberger, instructors at Illinois Institute of Technology, with launching him on "a lifetime adventure in science and technology".
Career In 1948, Lemke joined the new IBM Watson Scientific Computing Laboratory at Columbia University and spent three years working on plated drum memories for IBM computers. He joined T.E.M.C.O, working on high-speed teletype encryption devices before moving to AV Manufacturing Company in New York as the vice-president of engineering, developing multi-track instrumentation recorders. In 1957, he joined Armour Research Foundation to coordinate the work on magnetic recording.
In 1960, Lemke joined the Bell and Howell Research Center in Pasadena, California as the director of magnetic research. He worked on the development of high-density instrumentation and PCM recorders and in magnetics research.
In 1968, Lemke founded Spin-Physics in San Diego to develop magnetic recording heads for broadcast TV tape recorders. Once 50 percent of the broadcast hours on television worldwide were recorded on Spin Physics’ magnetic heads. In 1973, Lemke sold the company to Eastman Kodak and became a fellow of the Kodak Research Laboratories.S. Dubois, "Embattled Kodak enters the electronic age", Fortune Magazine, Jan. 8, 2012Legacy of R.L. Moore: James Lemke He founded Recording Physics, Inc. and VISqUS, Corp. VISqUS offered a technology based on a head-disk air bearing, but with the air replaced by a liquid.VISqUS Corp. US patent 6122143, Sep. 19, 2000
In 1978, Lemke founded Aerolift to manufacture a through-the-propeller radar for single-engine airplanes that he had invented.G. Larson "Aerolift Radar for Singles", Flying Magazine, pp. 27-28, July 1978
Four years later, in 1982, Lemke was pivotal in establishing the Center for Magnetic Recording Research (CMRR) at UC San Diego. Lemke obtained corporate donations for a new building for the center and could secure funding for four endowed professorships and for scientific equipment."Lemke receives Revelle Medal", CMRR Report, UCSD, Spring 1994
From 1982, Lemke served as an adjunct professor at the University of California, San Diego.
In 2004, Lemke founded Achates PowerJim Lemke biography and discussion of dual-piston engine (video) to pursue the development of the two-cycle, opposed-piston internal combustion engine.John Fialka, "WWII plane engines get low-carbon makeover", E&E News Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019
Lemke authored several scientific papersSemantics Scholar: James U. Lemke publicationsJames U. Lemke, "Magnetic Storage: Principles and Trends", MRS Bulletin, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 31-35, Mar. 1990 and wrote a book chapter on instrumentation recording.J. Lemke, Instrumentation Recording", Chapter 4 in Mee & Daniels "Magnetic_Recording_Video_audio_and_instrumentation Recording", McGraw-Hill, 1988 He was a prolific inventor with over 100 U.S. patents to his name.Justia: List of Lemke Patents
Awards and memberships
Member of the American Physical Society, he also was a Fellow of the IEEE. Senior Fellow of the California Council on Science and Technology 1988, Member of the National Academy of Engineering for lifelong leadership in magnetic recording theory and practiceNational Academy of Engineering: James U. Lemke 1992, IEEE Magnetics Society Distinguished Lecturer. 1993, Revelle medalUCSD Revelle medal for distinguished and sustained service to UCSD. 1995, IEEE Reynold B. Johnson Storage Award for "contributions to advancing the science and technology of high-density magnetic data storage." 2004, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.Fellows of AAAS
Personal Interests Lemke owned and flew several planes. In 1981, in Ted Gildred's recreation of his father's 1942 flight from San Diego to Quito, Ecuador, Lemke flew as the safety "chaser" in his twin-engined Beech Baron.The Rotarian July 1982 pp. 37-38 Achates Power was founded with the aim of building an opposed-piston aircraft engine.Achates Power: "A good idea"
Lemke was married to Ann Stickley who he met in Greenwich Village in New York City in 1953. He had two daughters, Catherine and Susan, and a son, Michael. He was predeceased by his parents, Andrew and Frances Lemke, and by his sister Lois Dahl.
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