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William F. Schreiber designed many successful products. |
William F. Schreiber, 84, MIT professor and imaging innovator
From the time he picked up a camera at age 10, William F. Schreiber exhibited a passion and innovation for film and television image processing. He soon built his own film enlarger and later designed many successful commercial products and patents.
As a professor of electrical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology for more than 30 years, he also helped mold innovators of today’s technologies.
Exactly how much of an effect he had on his students was seen in the days following his death in his Cambridge home on Sept. 21 after a period of failing health. He was 84.
“He was a very accomplished scientist and engineer, but all the mail I’ve been getting from his former students and colleagues is just about how he really was the quintessential teacher,’’ said his wife, Marian Connor.
Among those students were Dr. Schreiber’s first and last PhD students. Both are expected to speak next month at a memorial service at MIT in his honor.
Dr. Schreiber’s fascination with pictures began with a childhood interest in photography. Born and raised in New York City, he studied at Columbia University. With the country at war, Dr. Schreiber chose to participate in Columbia’s naval training program. He graduated in 1944 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, completed midshipman school, and was commissioned as an ensign.
Only 20 years old, Dr. Schreiber quickly found himself second in command of a submarine chaser based in Hawaii.
“He said it was OK, the captain was 21,’’ said his wife, recalling her surprise at hearing of Dr. Schreiber’s position. “They were young kids. . . . That’s how it was back then.’’
After the war, Dr. Schreiber returned to Columbia and received a master’s degree in electrical engineering in 1947.
He worked at Sylvania in New York until 1949, when he enrolled as a doctoral student at Harvard University on the Gordon McKay and Charles Coffin Fellowship. In 1953, he completed his doctorate in applied physics.
He then took a position as a research scientist with Technicolor Motion Picture Corp. in Hollywood. His work focused largely on producing better color in film.
In 1959, Dr. Schreiber accepted a position on the electrical engineering faculty at MIT. There, he found his niche, his wife said.
Susie Wee, who now works at
“He was as modern at the end of his career as he was at the beginning,’’ she said. “We had regular meetings which, once we finished our business, would inevitably transition into story time. Bill’s well-chosen stories taught me lifelong lessons that I continue to reflect on in my life and in my career. And I regularly share these Schreiber-isms with those around me who I have the privilege to manage, mentor, and teach.’’
Among them: “You get to do one big thing every 10 years in your career;’’ “HDTV is not about television; it’s about jobs;’’ “MIT engineers should be building bridges;’’ and “There is no reason to be mean to a student.’’
Connor also recalled her husband’s honesty and sincerity, in every facet of his life. “He was completely, completely honest. From my viewpoint, he had more integrity than anyone I’ve ever met.’’
His marriage to his first wife, Jean, ended in the early 1970s. He married Connor in 1979.
During his career, Dr. Schreiber served as a visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, India, the National Institute of Scientific Research in Montreal, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland. From 1983 to 1989, he also directed MIT’s Advanced Television Research Program.
He retired in 1990, but maintained a consulting practice in his fields of expertise and was an expert witness in patent litigation matters in the same field.
Dr. Schreiber also won many awards in his field and founded several companies, including the Tewksbury newspaper imaging systems supplier ECRM Inc.
In addition to his wife, Dr. Schreiber leaves two sons, Robert of San Diego and Peter of Lexington; a daughter, Tatiana, of Westminster West, Vt.; and two stepsons, Brian Tarbox of Littleton and Michael Tarbox of San Diego.
A memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. Nov. 21 at the MIT Faculty Club.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.