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George H. Heilmeier
writer · engineer
- May 22, 1936
- April 22, 2014
- 77 years
- stroke
About George H. Heilmeier
George H. Heilmeier, 77, American inventor and technology executive, championed LCD displays, stroke.
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Full Biography
|George Harry Heilmeier (May 22, 1936 – April 21, 2014) was an American engineer, manager, and a pioneering contributor to liquid crystal displays (LCDs), for which he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Heilmeier's work is an IEEE Milestone.
Biography
Heilmeier was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School there, received his BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and his M.S.E., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in solid state materials and electronics from Princeton University.
Dr. Heilmeier, the son of a janitor, was the first member of his family to finish high school. His daughter, Beth Jarvie, said “it was the Christian character of my dad” as well as his ability to put his head down and push forward with the work at hand that played major roles in his contributions.
In 1958 Heilmeier joined RCA Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey, where he worked on parametric amplification, tunnel diode down-converters, millimeter wave generation, ferroelectric thin film devices, organic semiconductors and electro-optic effects in molecular and liquid crystals. In 1964 he discovered several new electro-optic effects in liquid crystals, which led to the first working liquid crystal displays based on what he called the dynamic scattering mode (DSM).
Heilmeier spent much of the 1970s in the United States Department of Defense. In 1970–71, he served as a White House Fellow and special assistant to the Secretary of Defense, performing long-range research and development planning. In 1971 he was appointed Assistant Director for Defense Research and Engineering, Electronic and Physical Sciences, overseeing all research and exploratory development in electronics and the physical sciences. In 1975 he was named Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and initiated major efforts in stealth aircraft, space-based lasers, space-based infrared technology, and artificial intelligence.
In December 1977 Heilmeier left government to become vice president at Texas Instruments; in 1983 he was promoted to Chief Technical Officer. From 1991 to 1996, he was president and CEO of Bellcore (now Telcordia), ultimately overseeing its sale to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). He served as the company's chairman and CEO from 1996 to 1997, and afterwards as its chairman emeritus.
Heilmeier had received numerous awards, held 15 patents, and was a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the Defense Science Board, and the National Security Agency Advisory Board. He served on the board of trustees of Fidelity Investments and of Teletech Holdings, and the Board of Overseers of the School of Engineering and Applied Science of the University of Pennsylvania. He died of a stroke in 2014 at the age of 77.
Heilmeier's Catechism
A set of questions credited to Heilmeier that anyone proposing a research project or product development effort should be able to answer.
- What are you trying to do? Articulate your objectives using absolutely no jargon.
- How is it done today, and what are the limits of current practice?
- What's new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?
- Who cares? If you're successful, what difference will it make?
- What are the risks and the payoffs?
- How much will it cost?
- How long will it take?
- What are the midterm and final "exams" to check for success?
Selected awards
- 1976 IEEE David Sarnoff Award, IEEE
- 1990 C&C Prize
- 1991 National Medal of Science, US
- 1992 National Academy of Engineering Founders Award, US
- 1993 IRI Medal from the Industrial Research Institute, US
- 1993 Vladimir Karapetoff Eminent Members' Award, Eta Kappa Nu
- 1996 John Scott Award, City of Philadelphia
- 1997 IEEE Medal of Honor, IEEE
- 1999 John Fritz Medal, American Association of Engineering Societies
- 2005 Kyoto Prize in advanced technology, Inamori Foundation
- 2006 Edwin H. Land Medal
- 2012 Charles Stark Draper Prize, National Academy of Engineering
Selected publications
- 1966 "Possible Ferroelectric Effects in Liquid Crystals and Related Liquids" (Williams, R. and Heilmeier, G. H.), Journal of Chemical Physics, 44: 638.
- 1968 "Dynamic Scattering: A New Electrooptic Effect in Certain Classes of Nematic Liquid Crystals" (with Zanoni, L. A. and Barton, L. A.), Proceedings of the IEEE, 56: 1162.
- 1970 "Liquid Crystal Display Devices", Scientific American, 222: 100.
- 1976 "Liquid Crystal Displays: An Experiment in Interdisciplinary Research that Worked", IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, ED-23: 780.
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Articles & News
- "George Heilmeier dies; a principal developer of liquid-crystal display technology - The Washington Post"washingtonpost.com
- "George Heilmeier dies at 77; scientist helped develop LCD technology"latimes.com
Reported coverage of George H. Heilmeier; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._Heilmeier
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- September 30, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from George H. Heilmeier's archived record and the sources above.
1.Where did George H. Heilmeier receive his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering?
- A.California Institute of Technology
- B.University of Pennsylvaniacorrect
- C.Princeton University
- D.Massachusetts Institute of Technology
George H. Heilmeier received his BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Source: Biography section
2.In what year did George H. Heilmeier join RCA Laboratories?
- A.1958correct
- B.1964
- C.1970
- D.1975
George H. Heilmeier joined RCA Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1958.
Source: Biography section
3.What technology did George H. Heilmeier help pioneer, leading to his induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame?
- A.Stealth aircraft
- B.Tunnel diodes
- C.Liquid crystal displayscorrect
- D.Space-based lasers
George H. Heilmeier was a pioneering contributor to liquid crystal displays (LCDs).
Source: Biography section
4.What is the name of the mode George H. Heilmeier identified for the first working liquid crystal displays?
- A.Ferroelectric Liquid Mode
- B.Dynamic Scattering Modecorrect
- C.Parametric Amplification Mode
- D.Organic Semiconductor Mode
Heilmeier called the technology behind his first working liquid crystal displays the dynamic scattering mode (DSM).
Source: Biography section
5.George H. Heilmeier initiated major research efforts in which technology while serving as the Director of DARPA?
- A.Fiber optics
- B.Stealth aircraftcorrect
- C.Personal computing
- D.Mobile telephony
In 1975, George H. Heilmeier was named Director of DARPA and initiated major efforts in stealth aircraft.
Source: Biography section
6.Which company did George H. Heilmeier lead as president and CEO from 1991 to 1996?
- A.Science Applications International Corporation
- B.Texas Instruments
- C.Bellcorecorrect
- D.Fidelity Investments
From 1991 to 1996, George H. Heilmeier was president and CEO of Bellcore.
Source: Biography section
7.How many patents did George H. Heilmeier hold during his lifetime?
- A.20
- B.5
- C.15correct
- D.10
The biography specifies that George H. Heilmeier held 15 patents.
Source: Biography section
8.In what year did George H. Heilmeier receive the IEEE Medal of Honor?
- A.1991
- B.1997correct
- C.2012
- D.1996
George H. Heilmeier received the IEEE Medal of Honor in 1997.
Source: Selected awards section
9.At what age did George H. Heilmeier pass away?
- A.75
- B.79
- C.81
- D.77correct
George H. Heilmeier died of a stroke in 2014 at the age of 77.
Source: Biography section
10.What academic field did George H. Heilmeier study for his Ph.D. at Princeton University?
- A.Solid state materials and electronicscorrect
- B.Computer Science
- C.Theoretical Physics
- D.Mechanical Engineering
George H. Heilmeier received his Ph.D. in solid state materials and electronics from Princeton University.
Source: Biography section
11.Who provided insight into George H. Heilmeier's character by noting his 'Christian character' and ability to push forward with work?
- A.His daughter, Beth Jarviecorrect
- B.A Secretary of Defense
- C.His wife
- D.A colleague at RCA
George H. Heilmeier's daughter, Beth Jarvie, commented on the role of his Christian character and work ethic.
Source: Biography section
12.In 1970–71, George H. Heilmeier served in which role while working for the United States Department of Defense?
- A.Chairman Emeritus
- B.Chief Technical Officer
- C.Director of DARPA
- D.White House Fellowcorrect
In 1970–71, George H. Heilmeier served as a White House Fellow and special assistant to the Secretary of Defense.
Source: Biography section
13.Which of these is explicitly mentioned as a question in 'Heilmeier's Catechism'?
- A.What is your target market?
- B.Who is your competitor?
- C.How much will it cost?correct
- D.Where were you educated?
One of the questions included in Heilmeier's Catechism is 'How much will it cost?'
Source: Heilmeier's Catechism section
14.George H. Heilmeier received the Kyoto Prize in advanced technology in which year?
- A.1999
- B.2005correct
- C.2006
- D.2012
George H. Heilmeier was awarded the Kyoto Prize in advanced technology in 2005.
Source: Selected awards section
15.In what city was George H. Heilmeier born?
- A.Philadelphia, Pennsylvaniacorrect
- B.Dallas, Texas
- C.New York City, New York
- D.Princeton, New Jersey
The biography states that George H. Heilmeier was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Source: Biography section
16.What was the occupation of George H. Heilmeier's father?
- A.Research Scientist
- B.University Professor
- C.Engineer
- D.Janitorcorrect
The biography notes that George H. Heilmeier was the son of a janitor.
Source: Biography section
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