Robert Otnes
Feb. 2, 1932 - April 15, 2019 Palo Alto
Robert K. Otnes, an aerospace engineer and longtime Palo Alto resident, died April 15 from congestive heart failure. Bob was known for his expertise in digital signal processing, especially its applications in aerospace and military defense systems. He wrote numerous articles and several textbooks in the field.
He was also known internationally for his avocation, chronicling the history of slide rules and other calculating instruments. In 1991, Bob co-founded an organization dedicated to preserving that history, the Oughtred Society. It now boasts members in more than 20 countries and publishes a scholarly journal for collectors.
Bob’s story began in the Midwest. He was born in St. Louis and raised in Missouri, North Dakota, and Nebraska, frequently moving for his father’s sales career with Folger’s Coffee. Bob loved to talk about the winter he endured in Fargo and the summer he spent laying ties on the Union Pacific Railroad. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics at the University of Nebraska. Between his degrees he spent two years in the Army at Fort Hood, Texas.
In 1958, he came to Southern California to take a job in aerospace engineering. He worked for Douglas Aircraft, the Aerospace Corporation, and Measurement Analysis Corporation. He also ran his own company, University Software Systems, while earning his Ph.D. in electrical engineering at UCLA.
Bob landed in Palo Alto in 1977, a town he called home from then on. He worked for ESL, TRW, Maxim, Advent Systems, and finally, Lockheed, where he consulted until he was 75. Never content to have just one job, he also traveled to many countries to teach courses in his specialty.
In 1988, Bob married Susan Scharf, the employee publications editor at Applied Technology. Six months later Susan was diagnosed with cancer. Over the next five years, as they remodeled their home and continued to work, Susan researched and endured many treatments. Bob cared for her with loving attention to every medical detail. In May 1993, Susan lost her battle.
After Susan’s death, Bob devoted more time to the Oughtred Society, which was growing and becoming better known among mathematicians. He edited the Society’s journal and expanded his own collection of slide rules and calculators. These pursuits captured the imagination of many journalists who wrote long stories about the group. In 2005, Bob and the late Tom Wyman, also of Palo Alto, organized a popular exhibit on the history of calculators for Stanford’s Green Library. Two of Bob’s early calculators are now part of the Mathematics Collection at the Smithsonian.
A man of many interests, Bob loved to read in his book-lined home when he wasn’t at the computer. He also enjoyed telling stories, visiting museums, tracking down antiques, walking the neighborhood, and sitting under the redwood trees in his backyard. After retirement he joined the Friends of the Palo Alto Library, serving on the board for several years.
Bob was preceded in death by his wife Susan and his two brothers, Don (who died in childhood) and Fred, an artist/illustrator. Bob is survived by a cousin, Nancy Slaten of Junction City, Kansas, and her family, as well as his wife’s three sisters, Janet, Cathy, and Barbara Scharf. He is also mourned by many friends. His survivors are grateful for the loving care he received from the staff at Palo Alto Commons, his home for the past three years.
Bob is buried at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto. A memorial service will be held in June. Gifts in his honor might go to Friends of the Palo Alto Library or any organization promoting STEM education.