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Richard W. SonnenfeldtTranslator of the Nuremberg Trials
Country:
 Germany |
Content:
- Biography of Richard Sonnenfeldt
- Early Life and Education
- Career at RCA
- Work at Foxboro Co and Digitronics
- SelectaVision VideoDisc Operations
- Later Career
Biography of Richard Sonnenfeldt
Richard Sonnenfeldt, the translator of the Nuremberg Trials, was the vice president of RCA from 1974 to 1978 and was involved in the SelectaVision VideoDisc Operations project. He was born in 1923 in Berlin, Germany and passed away on October 9, 2009, in Port Washington, New York, USA.
Early Life and Education
Richard Sonnenfeldt was born into a Jewish family in Germany. In 1940, he managed to flee to England, but was later deported to an Australian prison as a suspicious foreigner. Eventually, he made his way to the United States. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical systems from Johns Hopkins University in 1949, graduating with honors. Sonnenfeldt continued his education in electronics, pursuing advanced degrees in the field.
Career at RCA
From 1943 to 1946, Sonnenfeldt served in the Armed Forces, where he was involved in strategic planning. He later became the chief translator at the Nuremberg Trials. After his military service, from 1941 to 1943 and upon his return in 1946 to 1949, Richard worked on control systems at Charles Electric Company of Baltimore. In 1949, he joined RCA, where he tackled complex and exciting projects involving the development of black and white and color televisions. Throughout his tenure at RCA, Sonnenfeldt rose from a junior engineer to the head of engineering and production for the company's industrial computer systems division.
Work at Foxboro Co and Digitronics
In 1962, Sonnenfeldt served as the general manager of the computer systems division at Foxboro Co for three years. In 1965, he was elected president and CEO of Digitronics, where he also chaired the executive committee and served as a member of the board of directors. In 1970, Richard returned to RCA, this time as the vice president of personnel.
SelectaVision VideoDisc Operations
In 1974, Richard Sonnenfeldt was selected to lead the SelectaVision VideoDisc Operations project. He was responsible for the development of RCA's VideoDisc program, including marketing and programming aspects. During this time, he became a member of the honorary fraternities Tau Beta Pi and Omicron Delta Kappa, as well as holding a high position at the Institute of Radio Engineers. In March 1975, Sonnenfeldt led the first demonstration of the CED system to specialized magazine journalists.
Later Career
In 1978, Sonnenfeldt transitioned from vice president of personnel to vice president of the VideoDisc Project. In 1979, he became the vice president of special projects for the corporation and later became the executive vice president of NBC.
