Charles Susskind
Charles Susskind
Born(1921-08-19)August 19, 1921
Prague, Czechoslovakia
DiedJune 15, 2004(2004-06-15) (aged 82)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
CitizenshipCzechoslovak (1921–1945)American (naturalized)
Alma materCalifornia Institute of Technology (B.S.)Yale University (M.S., Ph.D.)
Known forBioengineering at UC BerkeleyHistory of technologySan Francisco Press
SpouseTeresa Gabriel (m. 1945)
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsElectrical engineeringBioengineeringHistory of technology
InstitutionsStanford UniversityUniversity of California, Berkeley

Charles Susskind (August 19, 1921 – June 15, 2004) was a Czech-born American electrical engineer, bioengineer, and historian of technology. A pioneer in microwave technology health research, he co-founded the bioengineering program at the University of California, Berkeley, and was a prolific author on the history of electronics and telecommunications. He escaped Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia via the Kindertransport in 1939 and later served as a radar specialist in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.[1][2]

Early life and education

Susskind was born to a Jewish family in Prague, Czechoslovakia, on August 19, 1921.[3] His mother, Trudie, was a pianist, and his older brother, Walter Susskind, became a world-renowned conductor, most notably of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.[1][2]

In March 1939, three weeks before the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, Susskind escaped to England on one of the last Kindertransport trains organized by Nicholas Winton.[4] His father, Bruno, died shortly after under suspicious circumstances—five Jewish men died during surgery at the same hospital that week—and his mother survived several Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz.[3]

Unable to speak English when he arrived in London, Susskind eventually became fluent in English, French, and German in addition to his native Czech.[1] During World War II, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces as a radar specialist (1943–1945), becoming one of the few men to join the U.S. military without ever having set foot in the United States.[3] While stationed in London, he met Teresa Gabriel, a British Women's Royal Naval Service member who worked as a code-breaker at Bletchley Park on the Enigma Project.[3][5] They married on May 1, 1945—the same day newspapers announced Adolf Hitler's death.[1]

After the war, Susskind and his wife emigrated to the United States and became naturalized citizens. He earned his B.S. in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1948, followed by an M.S. (1949) and Ph.D. (1951) in electrical engineering from Yale University.[2][6]

Career

Stanford University

Susskind began his academic career at Stanford University in 1951 as a research associate and lecturer in electrical engineering.[2] During his four years at Stanford, he co-authored Fundamentals of Microwave Electronics (McGraw-Hill, 1964) with Marvin Chodorow, which became a standard text in the field.[2][7]

University of California, Berkeley

In 1955, Susskind joined the University of California, Berkeley faculty as an assistant professor of electrical engineering. He was promoted to full professor of engineering science in 1964.[6]

Early in his career at Berkeley, Susskind's research focused on the generation and transmission of microwaves. By the early 1960s, he became interested in the interaction of microwaves with biological tissues, recognizing the importance of studying biological and health effects of electromagnetic fields before it became a matter of widespread public concern.[1]

Working with Irving Fatt, then a professor of mechanical engineering, Susskind organized UC Berkeley's first bioengineering graduate training program in 1964.[1][8] Their efforts laid the foundation for the Joint UC Berkeley/UC San Francisco Graduate Group in Bioengineering, established in 1982, and the Department of Bioengineering, founded in 1999.[1]

Susskind's undergraduate course "Technology in Society" became one of the most popular courses on the Berkeley campus, drawing thousands of students from both the arts and sciences over several decades.[2] Former Berkeley mathematics professor Theodore Kaczynski, later known as the Unabomber, reportedly took issue with the course; when Kaczynski was captured, it was discovered that Susskind was on his list of potential targets, and Kaczynski had planted two bombs in Cory Hall, where Susskind had his offices.[3]

Administrative positions

Susskind served as assistant dean of UC Berkeley's College of Engineering from 1964 to 1968.[1] In 1969, he joined the University of California Office of the President as coordinator of academic affairs, responsible for coordinating academics across all nine UC campuses until 1974.[2]

He returned to teaching at Berkeley in 1974 and was appointed to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Scientific Advisory Committee in 1980, becoming chairman of the committee in 1985.[2]

Susskind retired from UC Berkeley in 1991 but continued to write and lecture extensively, attending international conferences around the world. His last public lecture was a keynote address on the history of radar at the International Telecommunications Conference (TELECOM) in Geneva in 1997.[2]

Publications and San Francisco Press

Susskind was a prolific author, writing or co-authoring 15 books. His 1968 book Understanding Technology was translated into seven languages and included a proposed Hippocratic Oath for engineers, in which scientists would pledge not to use their skills to harm people or the environment.[1][6]

In 1959, Susskind and his wife founded San Francisco Press, a publishing house specializing in science, technology, history of science, and music. However, in 2000, the press had ceased operations after publishing 75 books.[2] Susskind also served as editor-in-chief of McGraw-Hill's Encyclopedia of Electronics, first published in 1962 with a second edition in 1984.[6]

His historical writings focused on pioneers of electronics and telecommunications, including:

He also co-edited, with Johanna Hertz and Mathilde Hertz, a bilingual edition of Heinrich Hertz: Erinnerungen, Briefe, Tagebücher / Memoirs, Letters, Diaries (1977).[9]

Honours

Personal life

Susskind married Teresa Gabriel in London on May 1, 1945. They remained married for 59 years until his death. Teresa Susskind, who had worked as a code-breaker at Bletchley Park during the war, later became a professional librarian and community activist, serving on the board of governors of the San Francisco Symphony from 1985 to 1989. She died in 2015.[5]

Susskind was a cellist, and he and his wife subscribed to the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Symphony for nearly 50 years.[2] In the summer of 1969, he returned to his native Prague for the first time since fleeing in 1939, the first of many visits over the following 30 years.[2]

He died on June 15, 2004, at his home in Berkeley after a decade-long battle with Alzheimer's disease.[1] He was survived by his wife Teresa; daughters Pamela Pettler and Amanda Susskind; son Peter Susskind; and two grandsons.[2] His daughter Amanda later served as Los Angeles Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League for 18 years.[4]

References

  1. ^ abcdefghijklSarah Yang (June 24, 2004). "Charles Susskind, UC Berkeley professor emeritus and co-founder of campus bioengineering program, dies at 82" (Press release). University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  2. ^ abcdefghijklm"Charles Susskind". University of California Academic Senate In Memoriam. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  3. ^ abcde"Charles Susskind, professor and author, dies at 82". J. The Jewish News of Northern California. June 25, 2004. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  4. ^ ab"ADL Mourns the Loss of Sir Nicholas Winton". Anti-Defamation League. July 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  5. ^ ab"Teresa Susskind, Women's Royal Naval Service member, 94". Jewish Journal. January 7, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  6. ^ abcd"Susskind, Charles 1921–2004". Contemporary Authors. Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  7. ^Barrett, Alan H. (1965). "Electrical Engineering: Fundamentals of Microwave Electronics". Science. 147 (3664): 1436. doi:10.1126/science.147.3664.1436.b.
  8. ^"UC San Francisco Graduate Group in Bioengineering". UC Berkeley EECS. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  9. ^ ab"Charles Susskind". Open Library. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  10. ^ ab"Charles Susskind – UC professor, radar technology expert". San Francisco Chronicle. June 27, 2004. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
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