HONG KONG & SHANGHAI, CHINA - Media OutReach - Apr 14, 2015 - TheLutronfamilyisdeeplysaddenedtoannouncethatJoelSpira,thecompany's Chairman,Founder,andDirectorofResearch,diedthismorning, Wednesday,April8,2015.

Photo of Joel Spira

StartingfromaRiversideDrivepingpongtableinNewYorkCity,JoelandhiswifeRuthfoundeda companythatnowsellslightingcontrols,motorizedshadesandtemperature controlsthatareused inresidences, palaces,offices,hotels,museums,andothervenuesinover100countries.

"Ourthoughts andprayersgoouttoJoel'swifeRuth,andhisentirefamily.  Asthefounderof LutronElectronics,Joelcreatedabusinessfocusedonthecustomerexperienceandbenefiting society.  Henotonlypatentedtheelectroniclightdimmerbutdevelopedanentirelynewindustry dedicatedtolightingcontrol.Hisprofoundinfluenceaffects allofusintheLutronfamilyand encouragesgenerations ofyoungengineers, scientists,anddesigners tobecomeinnovatorsin lightingcontrolandinthefieldsofengineering andphysics.Hisinnovationsnot onlysaveenergy, butalsomakepeople'slivesbetterbycreatingresidential  andcommercialspacesthataremore comfortableandmorepleasant,"saidMichaelPessina,President  ofLutronElectronics. 

SusanHakkarainen, Joel'sdaughterandSeniorVicePresident atLutronsaid,"Myfatheralwaysfelt thatweshoulddesignfromacustomerperspectiveratherthanjustfocusingonthetechnology.His objectiveistoalwaysmakeproducts  thataretechnicallyexcellentbutalsobeautiful  sothatpeople willenjoythemintheirhomes,offices,restaurants,  hotels,museums,schools,healthcarefacilities andeverywhere  theywork,live,andplay.Hewasawonderfulhusband,father,grandfather, and friend,andconsidered everyemployeetobepartofhisextendedfamily." 

SpiraformedLutronElectronicsin1961tomarkethisinventionofthefirstsolid-statedimmerfor incandescent lighting.   Underhis54-yearleadership, Lutronhasdeveloped productstocontrolall typesoflightbulbs,includingLEDsaswellasshadeandtemperaturecontrols.Asrecentlyas Tuesdayevening,Joelwasactivelyworkingwithateamofengineers onthenewLutronCaséta Wirelesssmarthomesystem,whichincludesdimmers, switches,thermostatsandwindowshades thatcanbecontrolledfromtheAppleiPad,iPhoneandAndroiddevices.

Alwayscommittedtomanufacturing  productsthatsaveenergyandprovideabenefittosociety,the manyenergy-efficient  dimmingproducts  producedbyLutronsavethenationapproximately  9.2 billionkWhannually,anoutputequivalent  toonelargenuclearpowerplant,orabout$1billionin energycosts.Spiraiscreditedwithmorethan300UnitedStatesdesignandutilitypatents.Lutron productshavereceivedmanydesignawards.TheLutronNovaT*®dimmerhasbeencollectedby MOMA,andtheVierti®dimmerhasbeencollectedbytheCooperHewittNationalDesignMuseum. In 2010,itemsfromLutron's50-yearhistoryweredonatedtotheSmithsonianNationalMuseumof AmericanHistory.

Caroll Neubauer, Chairman and CEO of B. Braun Medical, Inc. said, "I had the true privilege of knowing and working with Joel Spira. I admired him as a brilliant inventor, a successful entrepreneur and a wonderful man. I have lost a good friend."

Spira graduated from Purdue University in 1948 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. Since then he has received honors and distinctions too numerous to list. In 1995 he was cited as one of Purdue University's "Distinguished Graduates for Outstanding Invention", and received the Leonardo DaVinci Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 2000.

Spira is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). He has received honorary Doctorates from Lehigh University, Muhlenberg College, and Purdue University.

Spira served on advisory boards and councils, and he and Ruth supported  Excellence in Teaching awards at Carnegie Mellon University,  The Cooper Union, Cornell University,  Georgia Institute of Technology, Lehigh University,  M.I.T., Muhlenberg  College, Penn State University, the University of Michigan,  the University  of Notre Dame, and his own Purdue  University.

U. S. Representative Charlie Dent offered this tribute, "Joel Spira was a giant of American Industry -- an Edison-like inventor and a great man very much dedicated to his family, company, employees and community.  I have known Joel for over twenty-five years. He was a larger-than-life figure to me. I'm deeply saddened by his passing and my family's thoughts and prayers are with Joel's family and friends. Joel invented the dimmer, but his memory will always shine bright."

Obituary: Joel S. Spira

Joel S. Spira, a prodigious innovator who changed the way we illuminate our homes by inventing the first solid state electronic dimmer, and founded and built Lutron Electronics Co., Inc. into a global company selling a wide array o f lighting controls, passed away at his home on April 8, 2015, at age 88. Spira, who was Chairman, Founder and Director of Research, started Lutron in 1961 with his wife Ruth in a spare bedroom of their apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He use d his extraordinary talent for tinkering, engineering, and business to transform the small firm into a highly respected worldwide brand.

Joel was born in New York City on March 1, 1927 to Elias and Edna Spira. After proudly serving in the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1946, he attended Purdue University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics in 1948.  At first, Spira worked for a defense contractor on projects that ultimately led him to think about lighting control -- ideas that led to the commercialization of the dimmer for household use. The Capri dimmer was introduced in the early 1960s with ads suggesting that it could enhance the ambiance of a room by "dialing romance." Today, Lutron makes some 14,000 products that can be found in over a hundred countries in residences, palaces, universities, hotels, museums, and offices, including the Empire State Building.

Joel and Ruth moved the company to Coopersburg, in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. Even as Lutron grew into a global comp any, with sales in more than 100 countries, he continued to run the business with a personal touch.

Lutron was built on and still follows five company principles, by which Joel himself lived:

1.   Take care of the customer with superior goods and services.

2.   Take care of the company.

3.   Take care of the people.

4.   Innovate with high-quality products.

5.   Deliver value to the customer.

Joel was a contributor to the arts, healthcare, and education and he was a proud and generous member of Congregation Keneseth Israel of Allentown. He served on a number of advisory boards and councils, and he and Ruth supported education by funding the Ruth and Joel Spira Excellence in Teaching Awards at Carnegie Mellon University, The Cooper Union, Cornell University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Lehigh University, M.I.T., Muhlenberg College, Penn State University, the University of Michigan, the University of Notre Dame, and his own Purdue University. He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering [NAE], a fellow of the Inst itute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers [IEEE], and the American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS].

Joel loved his family and treasured his time with each family member. Wednesday movie night with Ruth was a sacred tradition. Joel t ook tremendous pleasure in the whimsical, such as his watch collection, birdwatching and his penchant for colorful outfits. He treated employees like members of his extended family and took time to know people on a personal level. He always took time out to do even the smallest things for his community, his company and his family always looking at things with a "what could be" instead of a "what is" attitude, Joel's true passion was coming up with new inventions and creative ways of looking at things . He sweated the details, and was committed to precise, dogged attention to the highest quality standards. He didn't just create something for his own sake or for the money -- he wanted to create wealth in society and deliver value. He will be remembered as an entrepreneur and took great pride in everything he did from working on the early stages of an engineering project, to creating and growing a global business.

Insatiably curious and inquisitive, he was the holder of more than 300 U.S. patents, and under his guidance Lutron expanded its product line from basic, utilitarian dimmer switches to highly advanced and high -tech lighting controls and home automation systems. Joel led Lutron for 54 years. He also created a company called Subarashii Kudamono (Wonderful Fruit in Japanese), a grower and marketer of unique Asian pears after being introduced to the fruit during his business travels to the Far East.

In 2010, Joel's accomplishments, inventions, and prominent role in helping develop an entirely new industry dedicated to lighting control were honored when items from Lutron's 50-year history, including Joel's first engineering notebook, product prototypes and early advertising materials, were donated to the Electricity Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Joel will be remembered as a wonderful, loving husband, father and grandfather.  He is survived by his beloved wife Ruth Rodale Spira, to whom he was married for 60 years; his sister Miriam Spira Poser (her husband Joseph Poser); daughters Susan Spira Hakkarainen (husband Pekka Hakkarainen), Lily Spira Housler (husband Ryan Housler),

and Juno Spira; and grandsons Ari Hakkarainen, Max Hakkarainen and Bailey Malanczuk services will be private. The family has requested memori al donations in lieu of flowers.

Checks may be specifically made out to The Joel S. Spira Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Education Fund and/or The Joel S. Spira International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) Education Trust Fund, PO Box 850, Coopersburg, PA 18036.

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