Wow... for once, I'm speechless. A second legend (and even bigger hero) in almost as many months.
I'll raise a glass for Mr. Simonton tonight.
Ed
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Marvin Jones [mailto:mjones@...]
> Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2005 05:39 PM
> To: '', ''
> Subject: [oldsynths] In Memoriam: John Stayton Simonton, Jr.
>
> Apologies for the massive cross-post, but want to make sure all John's
> fans get the news.
>
> Following is the official family press release.
>
>
> In Memoriam: John Stayton Simonton, Jr.
> June 24, 1943 – Nov. 25, 2005
>
>
> Oklahoma City – Founder and president of PAiA Electronics, Inc. (OKC)
> John Stayton Simonton, Jr. died at his home in Arcadia, Okla. on
> Friday, Nov. 25 after a yearlong battle with esophageal cancer. He was
> 62 years old.
>
> Born in Honolulu, Hawaii to John and Eva Simonton, John Simonton grew
> up in New Orleans, La. graduating from the Sam Barth School for Boys
> and the Metairie Park Country Day School. In 1965 while finishing his
> engineering and psychology degree at Louisiana Tech University in
> Ruston, La. he met and married Linda Brumfield Simonton.
>
> After completing his degree in 1967, John moved to Oklahoma to work for
> the first computerized jet engine test facility at Tinker A.F.B.
>
> In 1968, John founded PAiA Electronics, Inc. in Oklahoma City, a
> company dedicated to providing synthesizer kits to the do-it-yourself
> electronic musician. John Simonton has designed hundreds of products
> including the Gnome MicroSynthesizer, the SMPL System SMPTE / MIDI /
> Machine synchronizer and the PAiA Programmable Drum Set, which is
> credited with being the first commercially available user-programmable
> percussion box.
>
> Many music artists received their first exposure to synthesis with
> PAiA’s modular systems. Many engineers, scientists and technicians had
> early exposure to their professions through his trade journal articles.
> His work with starved tube circuitry produced the TubeHead series of
> preamplifiers and his most recent project was PAiA's Theremax theremin.
>
> A widely read author and contributor in the electronic popular press,
> John was also the publisher of Polyphony magazine, which was first
> published in 1975 and later renamed Electronic Musician. Electronic
> Musician eventually sold to Mix Publications of Berkeley in 1985. John
> was also the founding partner in High Technology, Inc. the first
> computer store in Oklahoma in 1976, which became the first wholesale
> distributor for Apple Computer, Inc. in 1977.
>
> Deeply dedicated to doing what was right, John was a mentor and
> inspiration to many do-it-yourselfers encouraging them to pursue
> avocations and careers in engineering and music.
>
> He is survived by wife Linda Simonton, daughter D. Stayton (Staci)
> Craig, son John S. Simonton III (Trey), granddaughters Nikki Craig and
> Callie Simonton, and grandson Christopher Kai Simonton.
>
> A memorial service to celebrate John’s life will be held at 6 p.m.,
> Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Omniplex Science Museum in Oklahoma City. In
> lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the John S. Simonton Memorial
> Fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, PO Box 1146, Oklahoma
> City 73101.
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>