remembering Henry Ott
Henry Ott1936-2021
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ith deep sadness, we share news of the passing of a dear friend and honored colleague, Mr. Henry W. Ott, on May 20, 2021, in Livingston, NJ.

Henry was known by many as the nation’s leading educator in Electromagnetic Compatibility design and engineering. You may have even had the good fortune to attend his class, where he got down to brass tacks and helped you develop a deep understanding of EMC engineering.

Henry earned his B.S. in electrical engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1957 and his M.S. in electrical engineering from New York University in 1963. He served three years in the U.S. Air Force, Air Research and Development Command, and served as a member of the technical staff of Bell Telephone Laboratories for 30 years. In 1970, he originated a continuing education course in noise reduction at Bell Laboratories. Henry established Henry Ott Consultants, his well-respected EMC/ESD training and consulting organization, and went on to train thousands of engineers throughout his career.

Henry Ott standing next to an In Compliance Magazine Seminar sign
Henry was a member of the IEEE, IEEE Communications Society, and the IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society. He was a distinguished lecturer and published numerous technical articles, authored two well-known textbooks, “Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineering” (Wiley, 2009) and the iconic “Noise Reduction Techniques in Electronic Systems” (Wiley 1976 and 1988), of which together have sold over 65,000 copies. Henry also held two patents with the USPTO. Henry was always willing to take the time to discuss technical matters and to share his knowledge and experience of this highly specialized profession with other engineers.

Henry’s devotion to learning from and educating engineers will always be a shared point of connection between us. In fact, it served as the cornerstone of our partnership. In 2011, the In Compliance team proudly had the honor to begin working with Henry to bring his teachings to the public with bi-annual seminars across the country. For the next six years, we worked closely together as we prepared for, traveled to, and co-hosted one of the most sought-after engineering courses. Henry’s ability to convey the most complex principles in the simplest form and the opportunity for other engineering professionals to have access to his wealth of knowledge earned him a packed house with a waiting list almost every year.

We watched Henry impart his wisdom and serve as a mentor to hundreds of engineers facing uniquely common EMC challenges. His contributions to the engineering community are so well regarded that he was indeed considered an EMC celebrity. Although he would, most likely, modestly tell you he just happened to be in the right place at the right time, we served witness to many students and tradeshow attendees seeking out his signature.

Henry was a kind, intelligent, bright star in the EMC community, and we were made better for having known him.

Cheers, Henry, to another successful chapter well done.

Until we meet again,

Lorie, Sharon, Erin, Ashleigh, and Alexis

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