In Memory of Joel E. Goldmacher

Joel E. Goldmacher, 71, a pioneer in the development of liquid-crystal materials and displays, died on January 22, 2009, in Lakeland, Florida.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Goldmacher earned a B.S. degree in chemistry in 1959 from the City College of New York. He then attended Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana, where he received a Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1963.

Goldmacher started his career as a member of the technical staff at the David Sarnoff Research Laboratories of RCA Corp. in Princeton, New Jersey. He was the first organic chemist to be employed at this corporate research center. His early work involved the synthesis of organic semiconductors and insulators. Later he developed materials for electro-optical devices and optical recording media. Goldmacher was a member of the team that developed the world's first liquid-crystal display (LCD).

In 1966, he and his co-worker developed the first room-temperature nematic liquid-crystal material, opening the way for practical liquid-crystal display devices to be made. For this milestone achievement, he was a co-recipient of RCA's highest award, the David Sarnoff Team Award in Science, in 1969.

In 1970, Goldmacher left RCA to become one of the founding members of Optel Corporation in Princeton, New Jersey, one of the first companies to manufacture LCDs and digital watches. As Vice President of Research, he led the development of advanced liquid-crystal materials and electronic devices. Later he became Optel's Vice President of Sales and Marketing. When Optel was sold in 1978, Goldmacher formed Springwood Associates with two other Optel executives to develop various electronic products.

During his career, Goldmacher lectured extensively around the world and was an author or coauthor of numerous scientific publications; he also holds 17 patents.

He is survived by his wife, Judith; children Neil, Hope, Jonathan, and Tracy; and six grandchildren.

--Joe Castellano