Gilbert B. Porter, III of Fairport, NY passed away peacefully on October 10, 2023. He was 76.
He was preceded in death by his wife Patricia Porter and parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert B. Porter, Jr of Baltimore, MD. He is survived by his partner, Geraldine Schwartz, of Pittsford, and her family, and by many dear friends.
Gil was an extraordinary man. In addition to being a physicist, scientist, engineer, philosopher, inventor and visionary, he was a concert pianist, a gourmet chef, a Ham radio operator, and a decades-long Square Dance caller (over 50 years). He was especially interested in robotics, artificial intelligence, and the origins of the Universe. He was also a Tesla enthusiast who enjoyed being a beta driver for his Y Series Tesla.
As a young boy, Gil loved to ride his bike and would take off for the day to go exploring, always being home in time for dinner. He would often go to the library, as his haven, and read massive amounts of books. He was self-taught in technology and electronics and loved to play around and create new devices. He would often scavenge the dumps looking for parts that he could use on the various projects he was working on. His mother was his go-to person, however she knew nothing about science and technology, and would be baffled when he would describe to her the project he was working on.
At his high school in Baltimore, Gil was one of the very first radio station engineers. He also began working for a local electronic design company where his passion for designing advanced electronic products and circuits really took off. While still in high school, Gil worked side-by-side with a team of professional engineers, where he designed his own power transducers and chopper stabilized amplifier, among other things. Later he worked for a local electronics shop where he helped to identify parts and build various electronics. The shop owner would often give parts to Gil, which he would take home and build new ideas for semiconductors.
In his career, he worked as a Senior Scientist for GE Corporate Research Department and as a Principal Scientist for Xerox. He worked on many projects for the military, built computers, designed and developed new technological and electronic products and components, and performed various types of research and experimentation. He often came up with new ideas and would design them for fun, and for a challenge, and it would be 5 or 6 years later when the company would realize how much they needed that particular design. He was a brilliant and innovative scientist and engineer who especially enjoyed the challenge of creating solutions and ideas for what others considered impossible.
Even with his high IQ and engineering brilliance, Gil was a very gentle and modest man, very kind and down-to-earth, who especially enjoyed spending time with his close friends and comrades.
His education included a Bachelor’s of Engineering Science, Electrical and Electronics Engineering from John Hopkins University, a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Rochester – William E. Simon School of Business and a PhD, Doctor of Philosophy, Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Gil will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him. His memory will forever live on in the hearts of his family and friends.
A special Square Dance Celebration to honor Gil and his life will be held on November 11th, sponsored by the Village Squares. For more information, please contact Gerry at GPmemorialdance@gmail.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Gilbert Porter to the Palliative Care Program at Strong Memorial Hospital, U of R Medical Center.
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/medicine/palliative-care/giving.aspx