Charles M. Wolfe, Ph.D., professor emeritus of electrical engineering and one of only five WUSTL engineers to be elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering, died Oct. 18, 2008. He was 72.
Wolfe joined Washington University in 1975. In 1991, he became a member of the National Academy of Engineering for achievements in synthesis and characterization of semiconductors. He was honored specifically for his work in developing and purifying gallium arsenide compounds for their use in high-speed analog and digital integrated circuits for a variety of electronic applications.
He served as the Samuel C. Sachs Chair of Electrical Engineering from 1982-1990. He became professor emeritus in 1998.
Before joining WUSTL, Wolfe was a staff member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory from 1965-1975.
Wolfe earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the West Virginia University in 1961 and 1962, respectively.
He earned a doctorate from the University of Illinois in 1965.
Wolfe is survived by children David M. Wolfe and Dianne (DeeDee) Michele Foster and grandchildren Brandi Foster, Jeremy Foster and Chloe Wolfe.
A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who served from 1955-58, Wolfe was honorably buried at Jefferson Barracks during a private family ceremony Oct. 24.