SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY

Alpha Microsystems to Get New Chief Executive Officer Clarke Reynolds, president of Alpha Microsystems in Santa Ana, will replace Robert B. Hitchcock as chief executive officer of the maker of business computers, the company said Monday.

Hitchcock, 60, a founder of the company, will remain chairman of the board.

“For the past three months I have been ill and have not been able to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the company,” Hitchcock said in a statement. “I am confident that Mr. Reynolds, with his experience and his abilities, will continue to implement the strategies necessary to carry Alpha Microsystems forward.”

Reynolds, 69, replaced John S. Cain as president and chief operating officer in November after Cain resigned from the company for personal reasons. Before that, Reynolds was vice chairman of the company.

In October, another co-founder of the company, Richard Wilcox, chief technology officer, resigned to pursue other interests.

Alpha Microsystems agreed to be acquired in November by New York-based Aril Group, but the merger fell through earlier this month when financing could not be obtained. David A. Young, chief financial officer of the company, said the company continues to seek a strategic partner through an investment banking firm.

Hurt by a sluggish minicomputer market, Alpha Microsystems reported a loss of $868,000 for the third quarter ended Nov. 25, contrasted with earnings of $60,000 a year earlier. Sales rose slightly to $13.7 million from $13.6 million a year earlier.