Gary Clarkson passed away this month.
RW reported that earlier but more information about his life comes to us from his colleague Kevin Clayborn. Below is what Kevin had to say in writing to his friends this week:
It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of Gary Clarkson on Dec. 12th, 2009.
Gary was born on July 4th, 1952 in Sacramento, Calif. to Glen and Phyllis Clarkson. He was raised in Carmichael, Calif., where he graduated from El Camino High School. Following high school, Gary attended DeVry Institute of Technology in Phoenix, graduating in 1970. After graduation he worked as a contract engineer at several Arizona radio stations and continued his education in Electrical Engineering at Phoenix College and Arizona State University.
Gary, along with his good friend and classmate, the late Ron Jones, started Circuit Research Labs (CRL) in the kitchen of Ron’s house in Phoenix, Ariz. in the late ’70s. They incorporated the company in 1983. Together, they grew the business, from an engineering service company into a significant force, both domestically and internationally, in the design and manufacture of audio processing for broadcasters in both the radio and television industries. They created innovative products and made many friends in the broadcast industry along the way.
After Ron’s passing on Jan 1, 1998, Gary ran the company until it was purchased in 1999. Gary remained a part of the company until June of 2009.
Gary was a warm and kind hearted person and a superb engineer. He was directly responsible for several CRL products, including the MBL-100 Shortwave Processor, the Amigo AM and the SC-100 RBDS Encoder to name just a few. He had several hobbies outside of broadcasting, including astronomy and woodworking.
Gary leaves behind his father, Glen of Sacramento, CA; his brother Don of Vancouver, WA; his good friends Ed and Karen Saunders of Mesa, AZ; three nephews Jim, John and Shane and many, many friends in the industry who will mourn his passing.
A memorial service in honor of Gary will be held in January, 2010.
You can write to Kevin Clayborn directly at kevin (at) orban.com