James Overbeck *61

Overbeck graduated from MIT in 1960, first in his class. He enrolled at Princeton for a year of graduate study and returned to MIT, where he earned a Ph.D. in physics in 1964. He taught at MIT and led a research program in X-ray astronomy in which he made several important discoveries about a star, Cygnus XR-1.

In 1969, Overbeck left MIT and started a high-tech career that took him to several companies, including Teradyne, Genetic Microsystems, and Synergistics. Among his inventions, he developed a boarding-pass vending system that was later used by American Airlines, a laser trimmer to repair analog memory circuits, an early automatic-teller machine, and a system that helped helicopters avoid colliding with sand dunes at night. He was known as an exceptional out-of-the-box thinker.

He is survived by his wife, Anne, and three sons.  

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.