Remembrances of Ed Titlebaum

Titlebaum, Edward L. (Ed), 72, died peacefully May 27th 2009 in Homestead, Florida after a brief illness, surrounded by his wife and sons. He was predeceased by his parents, David and Dora (Kraus) Titlebaum of Boston, MA and his brother Elliot Titlebaum.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara C. Ilardi of Rochester NY, and Homestead FL; son Henry; son Michael and his wife Catherine Gale and their children Hannah, Zoe and Maxwell; brother Ronald Titlebaum and sister-in-law Cynthia; brother- and sister-in law Jeff and Carolyn Ilardi; sister-in-law Ellen Kalish and her husband Al Kalish, as well as many nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great-nephews. His extended family includes aunts, an uncle and many cousins.

After completing undergraduate studies in Electrical Engineering at Northeastern University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology he attended Cornell University and earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 1965. He joined the faculty of the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Rochester in 1964.

Ed’s scientific and academic career spanned five decades. His specialty was mathematical communications theory and its application to radar and sonar systems. His theoretical work in this area led to many widely employed improvements in naval sonar systems. He also explored echolocation in bats and whales and applied his insights from studying these naturally occurring sonars to improving man-made sonar systems. Among his other numerous contributions was the development of more precise electrocardiogram analysis methods and creating new music analysis and synthesis techniques. He had a lifelong passion for computers and computing, and was which led to his assuming the position of Vice Provost for Computing at the University of Rochester in 1996, a position that he held for several years before returning to research and teaching full-time. He remained an active member of the department until his passing.

Ed was widely recognized as a senior authority in communications and signal processing and he enjoyed sharing his oft-sought knowledge and advice with his faculty colleagues and with many students throughout the electrical engineering department. He was primary advisor to numerous Ph.D. students over many years and he was a skilled, empathetic, and highly regarded instructor in the classroom. His affable nature, deep knowledge of his field and his good taste in choosing interesting research problems will remain a profound and lasting influence on everyone he touched.

Ed loved a wide variety of music, and enjoyed playing guitar and singing for friends and family. He also loved a good joke, both to listen to and to tell. He was a doting and supportive father and grandfather, and a caring and loving husband. He will be sorely missed.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the American Diabetes Association.