Allen Katz, professor of electrical and computer engineering, died this morning. At the time of his passing, he was TCNJ’s longest-serving faculty member.
Dr. Katz had been an integral part of the School of Engineering from its start. Brought to TCNJ in 1971, he helped launch an engineering program designed to merge hands-on learning with rigorous technical training.
“[Professor Katz is] incredibly devoted to TCNJ,” said School of Engineering Dean Andrea Welker in a fall 2023 TCNJ Magazine feature story. “He was there from the beginning and helped build the department from nothing. To me, that’s his legacy. He took that risk and that opportunity to build something that was long lasting. He stuck with it and here it is.”
In his time at TCNJ, Dr. Katz taught and mentored more than 2,000 students and often served as advisor for senior projects. He held the belief that to best train students, faculty needed to be involved in industry as well. From 1976-2007 he served as a consultant for Lockheed Martin. In 1996, he founded Linearizer Communications Group, a communications technology manufacturer based in Hamilton, New Jersey. His company has since served as a vital internship and employment pipeline for TCNJ students and alumni, as well as a primary donor to the School of Engineering.
A ham radio enthusiast and co-founder of the Trenton Computer Festival, the world’s longest running tech fair that he started in 1976, Katz was often found bouncing radio signals off the moon in what little free time he had.
For more details on Dr. Katz’s life, please read his obituary.
Services are planned for noon tomorrow (Friday, June 21) at Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel, 1534 Pennington Road, Ewing. Burial will follow at Beth El – Perrineville Cemetery, 755 Perrineville Rd, Millstone, NJ. In lieu of flowers, his family suggests making a donation to the School of Engineering in Dr. Katz’s name.