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VLADIMIR KOSMA ZWORYKIN
1889-1982
BY JAMES HILLIER
,~
VLADIMIR K. ZWORYKIN, often called the father of television, died
in Princeton, New jersey, on July 29, 1982. At the time of his death,
Dr. Zworykin held the special title of Honorary Vice-President of the
Radio Corporation of America (RCA), having officially retired in
1954 as Vice-President and Technical Consultant to RCA Laborato-
rles.
Dr. Zworykin was one of the giants among the early architects of
our electronic age. While he always shrugged off his designation as
the father of television, nevertheless his inventions and developments
during the 1920s brought the concept of electronic television within
the range of practicality and provided the technical foundations for
all modern television systems. His "flash of genius" was the combi-
nation of electron beam scanning and the concept of signal storage at
the picture element level in an image sensor he named the "icono-
scope." His signal storage concept made it possible for the level of
illumination required on the subject to be reduced by several orders
of magnitude and, for the first time, to be brought within a practical
range.
Dr. Zworykin was much more than an inventor. He was a vision-
ary who dedicated much of his career to using technology to extend
the human senses. He was a leader with an extraordinary ability to
select competent research workers and then to inspire them to per-
form at levels far beyond their own expectations. While he never
assumed the role of entrepreneur, he was a very persuasive exponent
311
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MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
of the value of electronics technology to the entrepreneurs of his
time.
Born in Mourom, Russia, in 1889, Dr. Zworykin received his
undergraduate education at the Petrograd Institute of Technology,
graduating with the degree of electrical engineer in 1912. At the
institute he met and worked with Professor Boris Rosing, who, as
early as 1906, believed that cathode-ray tubes would ultimately pro-
vide the solution to practical television. By the time Dr. Zworykin
left the institute, he took with him an intense conviction that Ros-
ing's thesis was the one to pursue.
In 1912 Dr. Zworykin entered the College de France in Paris,
where he engaged in X-ray research under Paul Langevin. These
studies were interrupted by World War I when he had to return to
Russia to serve as an officer in the radio communications branch of
the Russian Army. The disruption and confusion caused by the
Russian Revolution ultimately resulted in his arriving in the United
States in 1919.
Soon after arriving here, he joined the research staff of the West-
inghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company where he under-
took research on photoelectricity. In reality, and largely on his own
initiative, he was continuing the development of electronic televi-
sion. While he appears to have had the freedom to do this, it also
seems clear that the management had little enthusiasm for the future
of the work. While at Westinghouse he was also a graduate student
at the University of Pittsburgh, where he acquired his Ph.D. in
1926.
His association with RCA came as the result of a corporate
rearrangement. It began in 1929 when he was transferred to RCA as
Director of the Electronic Research Laboratory in Camden, New
Jersey.
By the time of his transfer to RCA, Dr. Zworykin had developed
working versions of his iconoscope and had demonstrated a televi-
sion receiver incorporating his "kinescope," a cathode-ray display
tube embodying the concepts that are still fundamental to all modern
picture tubes. At RCA he found a kindred spirit in David Sarnoff,
who could provide both the entrepreneurial expertise and the finan-
cial support that were needed to complement his technical achieve-
ments and bring television to the general public.
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VLADIMIR KOSMA ZWORYKIN
313
Throughout his working career Dr. Zworykin never lost interest
in the key elements of the television system. His laboratory was the
source of a stream of major developments that continually enhanced
the performance of both the pickup tubes and picture tubes. Of
particular note among these were the "Image Orthicon" that pro-
vided another major improvement in the sensitivity of the pickup
tube; the "Vidicon" that led to compact, portable, and inexpensive
television cameras for all purposes; and the "shadow-mask" concept
that is fundamental to the operation of every type of picture tube
used in present-day color television receivers.
As Dr. Zworykin's influence and staff grew, his interests also
broadened, but they always did so within his central theme of using
technology to extend or aid human senses. Among the diverse prod-
ucts of his laboratory in this facet of his career were infrared image
tubes that became the key elements in "Snooperscopes" and ''Snip-
erscopes," used primarily in military operations; television systems
for the remote guidance of aerial torpedoes; secondary emission
photomultipliers that were ultrasensitive photocells with a multitude
of applications; and the electron microscope. Each was a major
contribution in its field.
Dr. Zworykin's recognition of the potential of the electron micro-
scope led to his support of its development from a laboratory demon-
stration to a readily available commercial instrument. Also, his
observation of the impact of the electron microscope on biological
and medical research inspired him to dedicate his retirement years to
developing interdisciplinary cooperation between physical and life
. .
scientists.
As a by-product of such extensive technical achievements, Dr.
Zworykin was the holder of more than 120 patents, the author or
coauthor of 4 monographs and innumerable technical papers, a
fellow or member of all the relevant technical societies, and the
recipient of a large number of significant awards, only a few of which
are mentioned here. He was a member of the National Academy of
Sciences and was among the earliest group to be elected to the
National Academy of Engineering in 1965. Among his more out-
standing awards were Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor
(1948), the Faraday Medal of the British Institution of Electrical
Engineers (1965), the U.S. National Medal of Science (1966), the
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MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
Founders Medal of the National Academy of Engineering (1968),
and induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (1977~.
In his professional career his dedication to technical work and to
the future was exclusive and absolute. Invitations to serve on com-
mittees were invariably refused, but his response was usually accom-
panied by an offer of the services of a very appropriate member of
his staff. His climb through the management ranks at RCA was
more honorific than real. He never allowed his management respon-
sibilities to grow to the point where he could no longer give individ-
ual, personal attention to the members of his staff. At the same time,
he was a very human and compassionate individual, always ready to
help members of his staff solve their personal problems.
In his personal life Dr. Zworykin was one of those rare individuals
who truly "left his job at the office." He was a thoughtful and
considerate husband and father and a frequent and gracious host.
He enjoyed a wide range of nontechnical personal interests and had
numerous friends who paralleled those interests: writers, artists,
musicians, philosophers, and politicians. Many were leaders from
the immigrant Russian community. Then there were hunting com-
panions, tennis partners, and more. He was a dedicated hunter, and
at home he was always accompanied by a well-trained bird dog. To
be his friend was an enlightening and exhilarating experience.
Dr. Zworykin has passed on. He died a happy man, having lived
long enough to see the realization of his early great vision to have
technology take our eyes where our bodies cannot follow. While the
profuse ramifications of the technology he initiated are still unfold-
ing, it is clear that the whole world is already much richer for his
having lived.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
using technology
