Al F. Tasch

Dr. Al F. Tasch, Jr. passed away at Seton Medical Center in Austin on November 30, 2004. He was born on the 12th of May, 1941, the son of Al F. and Dorothy Tasch. Al received a B.S. Degree in physics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1963, a master’s degree in physics and a doctorate in physics in 1969 both from the University of Illinois. Al was a member of many honorary fraternities including Phi Beta Kappa. He joined Texas Instruments in 1969, where he did pioneering research in the area of semiconductor development. He joined Motorola, Inc. in 1972 to start a new integrated circuit manufacturing facility and he became the Vice President of the technical staff in 1985. In July 1986, Al joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Texas in Austin, occupying the Cockrell Family Regents Chair of Engineering. Under his leadership the research group grew significantly. Al had over 350 research publications, and was awarded 38 U.S. Patents. Technology developed by Al and his research groups has been used by many companies worldwide including Motorola, IBM, Texas Instruments, Intel and AT&T. His contributions to industry are well recognized with numerous awards. These include election to the National Academy of Engineering, selection as an IEEE fellow, a Texas Instrument Fellow, recipient of J.J. Ebers Award, the Technical Excellence Award from the Semiconductor Research Corporation, and the Billy and Claude Hocott Distinguished Centennial Engineering Research Award. He was elected as one of the Founding Members of the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science in 2003. Al was a respected mentor to many students, had a strong sense of community responsibility, and always had a clear vision for the future. He was a brilliant yet practical man, and up until the last his focus was the well being of his family. Al was a person who loved the outdoors and enjoyed being a part of the community of the Texas Hill Country. He was a member of the Stonewall Chamber of Commerce, Stonewall Heritage Society, and the Fredericksburg Antique Tractor and Engine Club. He was also an active parishioner both at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Austin and St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Stonewall. Al is survived by his wife Judith, his son Edward and wife Anne, his son David and wife Sara and their children, Carsten and Kelsey. He is also survived by his sister Mary Jo Snider. A rosary will be held on Friday, December 3rd at 6:00 p.m. at Schaetter Funeral Home in Fredericksburg (301 W. San Antonio, (830) 997-2151). Funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 4th at 11:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Fredericksburg (306 W. San Antonio, (830) 997-9523). In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the "Restoration Fund of St. Mary's Cathedral of Austin”, 203 E. 10th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. View memorials and guestbook online at wcfish.com