Obituary of Christopher R. Wronski

Christopher R. Wronski, 78, of State College, died at Juniper Village Rehabilitation and Skilled Care at Brookline on Sunday, October 22, 2017 at 6:00 PM. He fought a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer. Chris was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1939 as the son of Bogdan and Irene Wronski. Along with his brother and mother he lived in Poland during World War II. At the age of six, his family was reunited in England where his father, a Polish Naval officer, was stationed. He married Lia Verbeek who passed away after 28 years of marriage and four children. On April 16, 1994, he married Mary Jane Prischak Tershak, who survives in State College. Chris received both his B.S. in Physics in 1960 and his Ph.D. in 1963 from Imperial College, London University. From 1963 to 1967, he worked at the 3M Research Laboratories in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1967, he joined the RCA David Sarnoff Research Laboratory in Princeton, New Jersey. At RCA, his work with David Carlson led to the invention of thin film hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells. In 1976, together with David Staebler, he discovered the Staebler-Wronski effect, which describes reversible, light-induced changes in the optoelectronic properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon. A seminal paper by Staebler and Wronski has now been cited more than 2,000 times. In 1978, Chris joined the Exxon Research Laboratories where he was a member of the team that developed optical enhancement for amorphous silicon solar cells. In 1984, Wronski and Carlson received the IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award "for crucial contributions to the use of amorphous silicon in low-cost, high-performance photovoltaic solar cells." In 1987, Dr. Wronski joined the faculty in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Penn State University where he continued his research on amorphous silicon solar cells. In 1990, he was elected an IEEE Fellow "for contributions to the understanding and application of hydrogenated amorphous silicon-based materials." In 2000, Chris received the IEEE William R. Cherry Award for his work advancing the science and technology of photovoltaic energy conversion. At Penn State, Chris was the Leonhard Professor of Microelectronic Materials and Devices. His work at Penn State was characterized by enthusiasm and excellence and by his love for his students. In 2005, Dr. Wronski retired with emeritus rank. After retirement he continued to lecture and participate in research activities globally at industrial, government, and university laboratories. Chris pursued his research interests with great joy and intensity, but also garnered much happiness spending time with his eight grandchildren and three step grandchildren. After retirement he and his wife Jane travelled extensively in the United States, Asia, and Europe. Chris thoroughly enjoyed bantering with friends and foes of all things political, but unfortunately for them, Chris was very well informed. In addition, he enjoyed following the Dallas Cowboys and the Nittany Lions. Also surviving are a son Christopher Wronski (Ayse) of Westfield, NJ; daughters Tonia Noonan (Colin) of Sea Girt, NJ; Helena Neary (Michael) of Eugene, OR; and, Paola Salino (Tony) of Virginia Beach, VA; stepson, Daniel Tershak (Mary) of Roanoke, VA; stepdaughter, Suzanne Tershak (Butte, MT); brothers Andrew Wronski of Bradford, UK; Mark Wronski of Chipstead, UK; and, sister Sophie of Southampton, UK. Funeral services will be at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, State College on Friday, November 10 at 10:30 AM with Father Jonathan Dickson officiating. Burial will be at Spring Creek Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Our Lady of Victory Church, 820 Westerly Parkway, State College, PA 16801 or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (www.stjude.org). Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com or visit us on Facebook.