I went to Brooklyn Polytech in 1967 and transferred to Norwich University in 1969. In my sophomore year at Norwich, I applied for and received a full 2-year Army scholarship. I graduated in 1972 from Norwich with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering and, at the same time, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the US Army Signal Corps. I also received a Distinguished Military Graduate award.
After completing Signal Officers Basic Course and Avionics Maintenance Course at Ft Gorden, GA, I reported to Fort Monmouth and was assigned as a research and development engineer in the Avionics Laboratory. My MOS was 47601 (RDTE Elect Engr). My first project was to work on understanding what caused army aviators to lose their hearing and what equipment and techniques could be employed to reduce this problem.
To help me in this endeavor, I designed and built an Audio/Acoustics Laboratory to investigate new techniques and hardware to be used to reduce aviator hearing loss and improve speech intelligibility in the army’s fleet of helicopters. In 1976, I left active duty and transferred to the Army Reserve. I stayed as an active reservist in the Army Reserve for an additional 24 years and retired 2000 as a Lieutenant Colonel (LTC). My retirement ceremony was done in the Pentagon by the Deputy Chief of Staff of Logistics, in his office. My military picture is of this ceremony. I am also a Vietnam Era Veteran.
In 1976, I transferred my job assignment to civilian status and became a government employee engineer. In 1980, I was elected to represent the Army on the Acoustical Society’s Standards Committees on Acoustics and Bioacoustics. I went back to school at night to get my master’s degree and was awarded a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in May 1981 from Fairleigh Dickinson University. I stayed with the Avionics Lab until 1982 when I transferred to Communications Electronics Command (CECOM).
I then applied my talents to improving communications systems for armored vehicles instead of helicopters. I also designed and built a new Acoustics Laboratory, which had the ability to accurately simulate the interior noise environment of armored 
vehicles. During this time, I designed a digital intercommunications system for armored vehicles, which is still in use today. In 1987 I left Fort Monmouth and the government for private industry. I became the Chief Engineer of a defense contractor in New Jersey, then in June 1990 I had the opportunity to join AT&T Bell Laboratories as a Member of the Technical Staff.
Initially my work was in the area of evaluating the performance of new and existing AT&T Services. In 1990, I was elected to represent Bell Labs on the Acoustical Society’s Standards Committees on Acoustics and Bioacoustics. In 2000, I was promoted to Principal Technical Staff. In 2004 I left AT&T Bell Labs and returned to work as a government engineer in CERDEC in early 2005. I worked on various engineering projects such as IPv6 and then back to my roots in antenna technology.
In late 2019, I was asked to spearhead a new project in HF communications called NGHF (Next Generation HF). This led to additional HF-related projects such as HF STORM, which consists of antenna arrays for both transmit and receive that dramatically improve the range and sensitivity of HF communications. A prototype system is being deployed to INDOPACOM in 2026. I retired in January 2024.
I have been married to Elizabeth for 49 years and we have 3 children. She worked as a budget analyst for the Department of the Army and retired at the end of 2023. Our eldest son is involved in real estate, and his wife is a PhD physical therapist who owns her own practice. They have 7 children (our grandchildren) who range in age from 1 year to 18 years old. Our daughter is an operations manager for a patient assistance organization and our youngest works in the restaurant industry.
Health: In 2018 I was diagnosed with kidney cancer and had 1/5 of my right kidney removed. I had no more cancer and did not require chemotherapy or radiation treatments. However, my kidney function started to decay. By the summer of 2024, I was diagnosed with End Stage Kidney Disease. In September 2024, I started peritoneal dialysis. This treatment lasted until July 2025 when it was determined that this treatment was not working for me. I started hemodialysis in August 2025 for three days a week. I feel much better and my health has improved considerably. I have no limitations but must watch my diet to control my phosphorus and potassium levels.
My wife and I like to travel and also to cruise but had to stop when I started dialysis treatment. When traveling, I enjoy taking high quality pictures using my Nikon 35mm cameras, then editing them on my computer. I would like to visit my grandchildren more often, but we have to take the availability of local dialysis treatments into consideration when traveling to visit.
For medically cleared donors, giving the gift of life through living kidney donation has been proven to be very safe. DOVE will assist all prospective donors throughout the process and make sure they do not incur any out-of-pocket expenses related to the evaluation or surgery. A healthy person can live a normal life with one kidney and save Mitch‘s life with the other!
Your support, whether through spreading the word on social media or considering becoming a donor, can make a profound impact on his life and the life of his family!
Please click on the link below if you would like to learn more OR call (551) 233-1611