Uhrich, William Joseph {Bill} died on July 15th, 2008. This was shortly after his 88th birthday on July 2nd.  He was predeceased by his parents John William and Rose Metz Uhrich, his brother Victor and sister Mae Marie Myers and his daughter Jane Uhrich Curd.  He is survived by his brother Richard, his wife Enid Gutman Uhrich, their sons David Allen and Charles Edward and their adopted son Kenneth Giffin, their grandchildren Lauren, Philip, Christopher, Jana, Ryan, and Cara.

He was a nationally ranked swimmer, having broken the Ohio State Backstroke Record in 1938, won many National Championships as well as 3 World Championships. He actively competed from high school until he was in his 80’s. He attended Columbia University on both an academic  and a swimming scholarship and graduated in 1943 with degrees in Physics and Electronic Engineering as well as winning the Columbia University Eimer Swimming Medal.

During World War II he was a member of the War Research Team working on the design of the first guided missile.  Following the war he was member of the design team that designed and built the ALTAIR in the Marshall Islands, the worlds’ largest and most powerful radar with its 150‘ parabolic antenna.  It is still used by the military for tracking space objects as well as astronomical scientists tracking natural objects.

Mr. Uhrich considered himself extremely fortunate to have lived at a time so many electronic ‘firsts’ occurred.  At seven he listened on a home-made short wave to Lindbergh landing in Paris; as a teenager at Columbia he was present when the first FM radio was shown in its development stage as well as the development of the first TV being designed.  As a graduate he helped design the first of the guided missiles, the largest radar, and as part of his work with space missiles, was present during the designing of the first US space missile. He was a Professional Engineer and a Life Member of the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers.

Mr. Uhrich spent much of his spare time volunteering, for 30 years as swimming coach for the Boys Clubs and YMCA and then as an EMT on the Sun City Emergency Squad. His hobbies included square dancing, sailing, fishing and bridge.

Any contributions, in his memory, can be sent either to Sun City Center Emergency Squad of Sun City Center LifePath Hospice.