Oral-History:Russel S. Ohl
About Russel S. Ohl
Russell Ohl's collegiate interest in chemistry and electricity led to his pioneering career in radio electronics. A graduate of Pennsylvania State College, Ohl enlisted in the Army during World War I and conducted license service tests for military aircraft radios. After the war, he continued electrical research in batteries and vacuum tubes. He went to work for the AT&T Company, building unipotential tubes and a new portable radio receiver. His subsequent projects were in quartz crystal research, high frequency control, interference reduction, and building semiconductors.
The interview spans Ohl's career, concentrating most upon his research and inventions between the two world wars. He discusses his technical discoveries as well as support for and opposition to his work. The interview also examines his attitudes about some Bell Labs colleagues and his post-retirement activities.
About the Interview
Russel S. Ohl: An Interview Conducted by Frank Polkinghorn, Center for the History of Electrical Engineering, 6 January 1975
Interview #020 for the Center for the History of Electrical Engineering, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Copyright Statement
This manuscript is being made available for research purposes only. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to the IEEE History Center. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the Director of IEEE History Center.
Request for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to the IEEE History Center Oral History Program, Rutgers - the State University, 39 Union Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8538 USA. It should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user.
It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows:
Russel S. Ohl, an oral history conducted in 1975 by Frank Polkinghorn, IEEE History Center, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
