Joseph R. Frattarola, 80, died on Monday, April 11, 2016, at Lima Memorial Hospital following a lengthy battle with pulmonary adenocarcinoma.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Virginia (Risman) Frattarola; his son, Gary J. Frattarola and his wife Hyun; his daughter, Aniela Meinhaldt and her husband Kevin; grandchildren Anthony, Victoria, and Noelle; his sister Rose Rocco and her family. He was preceded in death by his brother, Carl Smigowski.
Born on Dec. 2, 1935, to the late Giuseppe Frattarola and Josephine (Smigowski) Frattarola, he spent his early years in Port Chester, N.Y. and Norwalk, Conn.
Mr. Frattarola served as a Radarman 1st Class in the U.S. Coast Guard, first aboard the USCGC Westwind as a part of the scientific Operation Deep Freeze III, Task Force 43, IGY Antarctic Program.
Transferred in 1958 to the 14th Coast Guard District in Honolulu, TH, he was initially assigned to search and rescue vessels and then to the USCGC Matagorda, a weather ship traveling the Pacific to Japan and back. He crossed all the lines during his time in the Coast Guard.
Following his honorable discharge, Mr. Frattarola enrolled in the Advanced Electronics Technology Course at RCA Institutes in New York, N.Y., graduating in 1962.
He began his professional career in the Quantum Electronic Group in the Electronic Research Laboratory, David Sarnoff Research Center, Princeton, N.J. where he was later recognized for continuing original contributions to the use of lasers and replicated holograms in the development of SelectaVision.
The IEEE Student Journal, in the January-February 1970 issue, noted: “Seven years ago Joe started as a technician at the Labs; today he is known as the developer of a process for the replication of holograms – a process that is the backbone of SelectaVision, a color TV tape system for the home. Like a growing number of members of the electronics industry, Joe’s degree was in technology, not engineering.” While at RCA, he was granted four patents related to holography.
In 1973 Mr. Frattarola’s career took him to Itek Laboratories in Lexington, Mass., as a Senior Staff Engineer and then Manager, Digital Image Systems at Itek Optical Systems. At Itek he developed high information density laser image recording systems as well as critical satellite imagine systems for our nation’s intelligence agencies. During this time he was granted three additional patents. He was also a part of the imaging team that developed the Mars Viking Lander camera that sent back the first images of the surface of Mars.
A man of amazing intellect and vision, in January 1982 Mr. Frattarola formulated the business plan, assembled the team, and acquired the venture capital to found the image processing firm of ImagiTex, Inc., which brought the world’s first flat bed image scanner to market.
When ImagiTex was later acquired by the DuPont Company in Wilmington, Dela,, Mr. Frattarola became the Chief Technical Officer of DuPont Imaging Systems. He later developed a series of educational tutorials – “Electronnic Halftone Principles” and “Applied Color Technology” – that led to a position with Canon U.S.A., Inc. as Curriculum Development Specialist in the Group Marketing Services Division.
Mr. Frattarola had a broad range of interests and talents. He fully restored a 1930 Ford Deluxe Delivery, taking prizes both at Macungie, Pa., and Hershey, Pa. He was active in the Cub Scout program in Hightstown, NJ.
He restored his five-string banjo and enjoyed playing bluegrass music. He loved the water and boating in Meredith, NH and Havre de Grace, Md.,. And, most recently, he authored a book titled “O.S.D.” under the pseudonym D.T. Pederson, available on Amazon Kindle.
A memorial service will be held on June 1, at 11:30 aa.m. at St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church in Ossining, N.Y.
