John T. Sibilia *62

John Sibilia, a physicist who had a 40-year career at Bell Telephone Laboratories, died May 22, 2019, at the age of 85.

Born in Newark, N.J., Sibilia was the valedictorian of his class at Barringer High School, and earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in physics from Rutgers. At Princeton he earned a master’s degree in 1957 and a Ph.D. in 1962, both in physics.

Sibilia started working in solid-state physics at Bell Labs, and during his 40 years there he developed and managed a variety of technologies. These included masers for Telstar, magnetic bubble memory, and underwater acoustic arrays for tracking submarines.

He enjoyed building amplifiers, model airplanes, elegant furniture, and sailboats, as well as restoring countless sports cars. Traveling the world with his wife, Maria, Sibilia visited relatives in Italy and Venezuela, as well as many places in Central America, Europe, and the Far East. On each trip, he would take his butterfly net and collect specimens that he would meticulously mount.

Sibilia was predeceased by his wife of 56 years, Maria. He is survived by children Victoria, Marc ’86 *92, and Christopher ’87; and three grandchildren.

Graduate alumni memorials are prepared by the APGA.