Walter Kahn, of Bethesda, died Jan. 31. He was 90.
Born in Mannheim, Germany, he fled the Nazis with his brother and their parents, Simon Kahn and Hilde Ullmann Kahn, arriving in New York in July 1938.
He worked at Wheeler Labs, taught at Brooklyn Polytechnic, and spent a year at the Office of Naval Research in London before joining the faculty of The George Washington University, where he taught for 45 years, served as chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering, and held a seat on the Faculty Senate, among other leadership roles.
The author of more than 100 papers in the fields of electromagnetics, microwave components, antennas and optics, Professor Kahn was a Fellow of the IEEE, where he served in editorial and other roles, and was a long-time consultant for the Naval Research Laboratory. He was also a member of the Cosmos Club.
Walter Kahn is survived by his wife, Barbara Fairberg Kahn; his daughter, Hilde Kahn; his son, Jonathan Kahn (Natalia Guzman Kahn); his grandchildren, James Bradbury, William Bradbury, Susanna Bradbury and Alexander Kahn; his brother, Ernest Kahn (Marilyn); and nephews, David Kahn (Gail) and Richard Kahn (Sherry).
Donations may be made to Selfhelp Community Services.
