b'30 Member News November 2021ObituariesProfessor Sir Eric Ash CBE FRS FREng HonFIET, IET Past PresidentJanuary 1928August 2021Eric Ash died on 22 August 2021. The time, attention and support he gave to his many undergraduate and post-graduate students, were the mark of a truly inspirational engineer, and arguably at least as important to him and those who knew him as his numerous and notable academic and industrial achievements, appointments and honours. His wisdom and humour were exemplified by his Theory of the non-conservation of glory (broadly that sharing the glory with other authors was a good thing).Eric was born in Berlin in 1928.(UCL). He became a professor in His German-Jewish parents1967 and Head of Department moved their family to Londonin 1980. Erics research in 1938. After boarding school,interests were frequently at the Eric attended UCS (Universityintersection of technologies College School) before winning(acousto-optics, photo-a scholarship to Imperialacoustics, opto-electronics). College where he took a firstHe was amongst the first to in Electrical Engineering andsuggest the use of surface then completed a PhD onacoustic waves for signal Electron Interaction Effectsprocessing, a technology stillProfessor Sir Eric Ash CBE FRS FREng FIET, IET Past Presidentin 1952 under Dennis Gabor,widely used, and led a groupeditor of Electronics Letters.and Engineering Research the Nobel Prize winningworking on acoustic imaging,In common with all those whoCouncil and Advisory Board inventor of holograms. A twowith close links to Calvin Quateprogress to the Presidency, hefor Research Councils, year Fulbright Scholarship toat Stanford who invented thechaired all the major boardschairing the BBCs Science Stanford University, where hemodern acoustic microscope. and committees, the mostAdvisory Committee, acting worked on microwave tubesIn 1985, Eric became Rectorimportant in his view beingas a trustee of both the (principally the developmentof Imperial College. Imperialthe Publications Committee,Royal Institution and the of the back-wave oscillator)had slipped academically, butwith the then IEE ProceedingsScience Museum, Treasurer and met his future wife Clareby the time Eric left after 8being completely revampedand Vice-President of the Babb, was followed by ayears, Imperial ranked equalunder his leadership. The IERERoyal Society, serving as return to London in 1954. with Cambridge in science,(Institution of Electronic anda member of the Advisory After a year at Queen Maryand top in engineering.Radio Engineers) merged withCouncil of the Campaign College London workingEqually importantly, boththe IEE during his presidency. for Science and Engineering on linear accelerators,finances and administrationIn addition to his academicand as CEO of the Student Ash joined STL (Standardwere transformed undercareer, Eric was an activeLoans Company (1994-96). Telecommunicationshis leadership. consultant and adviser,He was knighted in 1990.Laboratories), initiallyFollowing his retirementincluding as consultant toAmongst Erics many continuing his researchfrom Imperial in 1993, EricGeneral Electric, a member on microwave tubes, thenreturned to UCL as anof the international advisoryawards were the 1984 acousto-electrics, becomingemeritus professor, workingboards of The Amp CorporationMarconi Prize and the IEE head of the high-speedon educational technology. (US) and the Bosch CompanyFaraday Medal (1980).devices group. Eric joined the then IEE as a(Germany), and as a non- Outside work, Eric was a In 1963 Eric joined thestudent, and remained activelyexecutive director of BT (Britishloving and loved parent, Department of Electrical andinvolved throughout most of hisTelecom) for six years. with five daughters. His Electronic Engineering atcareer. Along with its founderHis public service includedhobbies included skiing, University College LondonPeter Clarricoats, Eric was anmembership of the Science tennis and music.'