Conrad G. Dalman

Ithaca, NY

G. Conrad Dalman passed away peacefully on September 14, 2011, at Cayuga Medical Center at the age of 94.

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on April 7, 1917, the son of Conrad Frederick (Jonsson) Dalman and Valgerdur (Thorsteinnsdottir) Dalman. Conrad was predeceased by his wife, Catherine (Stewart) Dalman on May 7, 2008, and his sister, Olga Dalman Goolsby. He is survived by his four children, Diana (Bruce) Dotson, Kristine (Peter) Dalman, Karen Dalman and Conrad S. Dalman; four grandchildren, Matthew (Susan) Dotson-Smith, Sarah (Jeff) Hetmanski, Jonathan (Elaine) Dotson, and Dan (Heidi) Nielsen; six great grandchildren, Serena and Maya Dotson, Hannah and Spencer Hetmanski, Callum and Remi Dotson. He is also survived by a niece, Linda (Todd) Crow.

After the family immigrated to New York, Conrad graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1935, he continued on to earn a B.E.E. from the City College of New York, and an M.E.E. and D.E.E. from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. He began his professional career in industry, working for fourteen years in electron device development and research for RCA, Bell Telephone Laboratories and the Sperry Gyroscope Company. During World War II he worked for the Signal Corps developing radar techniques. In 1956 Conrad joined the faculty of the Cornell University School of Electrical Engineering. In addition to teaching, he served as director of the school from 1975 to 1980 and also contributed to development of the Cornell University Microwave Solid State Laboratory. He loved teaching and was voted most popular professor by the students many times. His participation in industrial activity continued as a consultant to several firms and as a co-founder of the Cayuga Associates Division of the Narda Microwave Corporation. During one sabbatical leave in 1962-63 he was project manager of the United Nations Special Fund China Project and Visiting Professor at Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, where he took his family. Among his affiliations are Fellow, I.E.E.E., Mem. Am. Phys. Soc., A.A.A.S., Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, the Icelandic Society of N.Y., and he authored books, papers and articles. He enjoyed skiing, swimming, photography, taking the family on picnics, and working in his home lab. Upon becoming an Emeritus Professor in 1987, he continued to advise and assist students upon request and recently was interviewed by a student regarding her thesis on the history of the electronics industry in Taiwan. A favorite pastime throughout his retirement was visiting the Cornell Engineering Library whose staff he commended often.

No funeral services are planned.

Conrad’s family would like to thank the fourth floor nursing staff and doctors at CMC for the incredible care they gave our father. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be directed to Hospicare, 172 E. King Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850.