Homer Sarasohn

Who is Homer Sarasohn?

Homer Sarasohn, an IEEE Life Member, was an American engineer.

When General Douglas MacArthur recruited him to re-establish the Japanese electronics industry, Mr. Sarasohn initiated the quality control standards for which Japan's electronic industry became known. He also wrote books on quality control, one of the earliest being Fundamentals of Industrial Management, which is still in print in Japan.

Homer Sarasohn originally focused on the radio inductry, since MacArthur saw that as a method to use as a tool of occupation for direct communication with the Japanese people. He worked with Charles Protzman, who had been charged with running Japan's telephone system. When they returned to the United States, Sarasohn recommended W. Edwards Deming to continue the campaign of quality that he and Protzman had begun.

He fought with the 161st Airborne Engineers in World War II, until receiving a medical discharge st the end of 1943. He then worked on Project Cadillac at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mr. Sarasohn's wife of 62 years, Shirley Sarasohn, died in November 2001. He is survived by their daughters Linda Kingdon and Lisa Sarasohn and by their grandchildren Sara and David Kingdon.