Leo Young, 80; Defense Department Research Chief, Microwave Expert
Leo Young, 80, a retired director of research for the Defense Department, died of complications from cancer Sept. 14 at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
Young, an expert on microwave technology, held 20 patents, published numerous scholarly papers and was the author, co-author or editor of 14 books, including “Microwave Filters, Impedance-Matching Networks and Coupling Structures” (1964). Considered “the bible” by those in the field, the reference book has been translated into Russian and Japanese, still sells well decades after publication and is included in the Microwave Hall of Fame.
Born in Austria, Young earned an undergraduate degree in physics and math in 1946 and a master’s degree in physics in 1949, both from Cambridge University.
He then won a full scholarship from Westinghouse Inc. to come to the United States and study at Johns Hopkins University, where he earned a doctorate in electrical engineering in 1957. He became a U.S. citizen.
From 1960 to 1973, he was a fellow at the Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park, Calif., where he worked on microwave filter design.
He also taught at Stanford University and consulted for industry. He joined the Office of the Secretary of Defense as director of research in 1981.
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