Klaus Christian Wiemer

Klaus passed away on August 8th after a brief but courageous battle with Esophageal Cancer. Klaus was born on August 8th 1937 in Duisburg, Germany. He grew up in Bueckeburg, Lower-Saxonia, Germany. Klaus was a graduate of the German Air Force Academy and then entered the Deutsche Luftwaffe (German Air Force) in April, 1957. After his graduation from the Air Force Officer School, he attended the officers’ basic electronics course at the Air Force Technical School in Kaufbeuren, Bavaria in preparation for his training on the NIKE air defense missile system in Fort Bliss, Texas. Second Lieutenant Wiemer was the youngest and most junior in rank to attend. These officers were selected to be the leadership cadre for the first German Air Force Surface-to-Air Missile Battalion of the new Luftwaffe. On Jan 31, 1959, the officers’ crew departed in a four- piston engine Lockheed “Super Constellation” on a flight from Hamburg over the Atlantic Ocean to El Paso, Texas. After having been assigned to temporary quarters in wooden field houses north of Fort Bliss, the officers looked for off-base housing in houses/apartments in El Paso. Together with two other officers (1st Lieutenants Groh and Wallrath), 2nd Lieutenant Wiemer moved into a small 3 bedroom house. During this time he met the love of his life and later wife Stella Velasquez. On April 1, 1959, SAM Battalion 21 was officially assigned to active duty in a formal ceremony at McGregor Guided Missile Firing Range. It was also there that the first new German Air Force NIKE-AJAX and NIKE-HERCULES missiles were fired. Klaus and Stella married on August 1st 1959. The German officers left El Paso in August to return to Cologne. Klaus‘4th Battery was stationed to a small airfield near Gelsenkirchen-Buer in North Rhine-Westfalia. Klaus and Stella, as well as Hans-Georg Kresser and his wife Brigitta, were each assigned a condominium in the same neighborhood. During this time, the Wiemers and the Kressers became such close friends that Klaus agreed to be the Godfather of the Kresser’s son Ingo at his baptism on Apr 17, 1960. Both the Wiemer’s and the Kresser’s sons were born in the “Vestische Frauenklinik” in Gelsenkirchen-Buer. Ingo Kresser was born there on Jan 2, 1960; Klaus Wiemer Jr. on Apr 29, 1960. In the summer of 1960, Klaus decided to resign from the German Air Force for family issues so he and Stella moved back to El Paso, Texas.

Klaus enrolled at Texas Western College (now University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) in 1960 where he received his B.S in Physics in just two and a half years. In 1963, he was the first recipient of the UTEP Fund for Excellence Scholarship. In 1965 he completed his Master’s Degree in Physics from UTEP. In 1966, he was a recipient of the NASA fellowship and enrolled in Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) where he completed his Ph.D. in three years.

From 1969 until 1984 he was employed at Texas Instruments (TI), initially as a Research Scientist developing semiconductor devices as well as a Fabrication Product Engineer Manager. As a result of his improvements in computer chip manufacturing processes, he was assigned from 1980 to 1982 to the Semiconductor Group of TI in Houston, Texas. Klaus continued to move through the ranks of the Texas Instruments hierarchy and was assigned to the Government Electronics Group in Dallas where he built and managed TI’s first One Micron VHSIC Fab. During his time at TI he received numerous accolades for his accomplishments in the Semiconductor Industry.

From 1984 to 1987 Klaus was a Partner and Vice President for European Operations at the Thomas Group INC; a consulting group that provided problem solving services and know-how for cost effective manufacturing in the world wide microelectronics industry. Some of his customers were Siemens, Phillips, Thomson, SGS, and BBC as well as several U.S. companies based in Europe.

In 1987, Klaus assumed Vice President of Operations at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC). TSMC became the world’s first “pure” chip manufacturing company. His responsibilities included training local staff as well as design and construction of a more advanced submicron chip manufacturing facility. Because of his achievements Klaus became President, COO and Director of TSMC. Between 1988 to 1991, staffing grew to 1200 people and TSMC was considered the model for pure-play Integrated Circuits foundry and became one of the most profitable companies in the world. Revenues grew from 165 million in 1991 to current annual revenues of 10 billion.

Always up for a new challenge, from 1991 to 1993 he became the President, CEO, and Director of Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing (CSM) in the Republic of Singapore. During his tenure, CSM became a profitable company in the semiconductor industry.

Following 1994 until present, Klaus served as an Executive and Non-Executive Director for numerous startup companies all over the world that specialized in Fabless Integrated Circuits, Discrete Specialty Semiconductor Devices, and Microelectronics Manufacturing Plants.

Following an illustrious and highly successful career in the semiconductor industry, Klaus wanted to expand his horizons and put his years of knowledge and high quality manufacturing process skills into other ventures. Perhaps one of his greatest joys was the founding of Techulon INC. Techulon INC was a joint effort between private investors and his beloved alma mater Virginia Tech. The focus of this company is to pioneer effective cures and specific treatments of multi-drug resistant infections such as MRSA using state of the art technologies. Techulon uses Genomic targeting to attack or eliminate resistance of specific bacteria to antibiotic treatments. This approach to antibiotic resistant bacteria represents one aspect in the future of medicine and was something that Klaus endeared. His approach throughout his whole life was to utilize technology to improve the quality of human life.

Klaus never forgot the importance of academics and higher learning. As a result he was a generous supporter of his alma maters; UTEP as well as Virginia Tech. For example, he established the Wiemer Family Student Endowment at UTEP. In honor of his mentor Dr. Clayton D. Williams, Klaus and Stella established the Clayton D. Williams Graduate Fellowship in Theoretical Physics at Virginia Tech. In addition to his numerous contributions, he served on several advisory boards and provided sage advice, ardent support and leadership throughout his life to his alma maters. In 2006, Klaus won the “Golden Nugget” award from the College of Science at UTEP for his continued support of Scientific Endeavors and development of entrepreneurial opportunities. He will to be inducted into Virginia Tech’s 2014 College of Science Hall of Distinction in November of 2014.

In his beloved Dallas; Klaus and Stella helped established the school at All Saints Catholic Church, in addition to numerous donations. Klaus and Stella were ardent supporters of Catholic education. Klaus also had a real passion for music and was a long time supporter of The Dallas Symphony.

A key to Klaus’s success was his marriage to Stella Wiemer for 55 years. There were so many aspects to Klaus that are impossible to put on paper; everyone he met was truly touched by his demeanor and presence. No matter whom he met, he always found the positive in a person and always wanted to help those who were less fortunate. Klaus and Stella helped establish a scholarship at Our Lady of Perpetual Help for deserving yet less fortunate children. Klaus never swayed from his principles and ethics to the very end. He often preached to his children to “leave a positive footprint” on this Earth. Find something you love and you will never work a day in your life.

Throughout his life, Klaus was a loving husband/father, grandfather, mentor to countless people and yet very fun loving. He never took himself too seriously and always down played his contributions; he was so humble. He was known for his wit and dry humor; always quick with a joke (often off colored). He had a passion for the outdoors, cooking, fine wines, as well as spending good times with friends and family. His love for his two dogs Goldie and Heidi affectionately known as his “girls” was unsurpassed. He is survived by his wife Stella, son Klaus Jr, Ph.D. and daughter-in-law Linda, daughter Monica, and grandsons Dylan and Christian. Family and friends will celebrate Klaus’s life at 10.30 a.m. Thursday, August 21st at All Saints Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Klaus C. Wiemer Ph.D. Memorial Fund for Esophageal Cancer Research at the American Cancer Society.

We will miss so you much Pops/Father Klaus/Opa. You have left big shoes to fill.