Louis King

Louis Arthur King Louis Arthur King, age 94, passed away on Sunday morning, Nov. 1, 2009, at Wellmont Bristol Regional Medical Center. He was born Jan. 1, 1915, in Bristol Tennessee, to the late Arthur and Geneva King. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Elizabeth H. "Libby" King, on Dec. 1, 2004, following 60 wonderful years of marriage. He was also preceded in death by his sister, Katherine King Adamson. Mr. King was a lifelong member of First Presbyterian Church where he was an elder emeritus, and was a member of the Bristol Rotary Club for over 40 years. During his professional career spanning a period of 45 years, Louis King, PE, distinguished himself as an inventor, an educator, a broadcast consultant, and a corporate entrepreneur in the field of radio broadcast antenna systems. Following graduation with a BSEE from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1938 and MSEE from the University of Missouri in 1940, he taught electrical engineering at Clemson College in Greenville, S.C., where he developed the radio engineering curriculum, which later formed the foundation for the communications courses presently offered at what is now Clemson University. In 1945, he was hired by the Radio Corporation of America in Camden, N.J., as a radio transmitter design engineer where he received five patents. In 1949, he returned to Bristol at which time he obtained a PE license in Tennessee and Virginia and set up operations in his father, Arthur's, office space on Shelby Street as a broadcast consulting engineer. In the early 1950's, he started manufacturing radio broadcast equipment while continuing his consulting practice. The manufacturing business was later named Kintronic Laboratories and was incorporated in 1984. Under the guiding vision of Mr. King empowered by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, Kintronic Labs grew to be a world leader with products in over 100 countries. As a result of his many contributions to radio broadcasting, Mr. King was recognized by the National Association of Broadcasters in 2007 as the recipient of the NAB Lifetime Radio Engineering Achievement Award. Later that same year, King College honored Mr. King with an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree at their first winter commencement. In 2008, the National Religious Broadcasters presented Mr. King with their first Impact Award recognizing Mr. King's behind-the-scenes support of Christian radio around the world. Mr. King is survived by: his daughter, Marla King Black and husband William Black III, of Dandridge, Tenn.; and grandsons, William "Scotty" Black IV of Dandridge and Monty Black and his wife Tyler; and great-grandson, Mason of Alexandria, Va.; his son, Tom F. King and wife Leigh M. King; and grandchildren, Ben, Katie, Genny Lou and Joshua of Bristol Tennessee; and daughter, Gwen B. King of Bristol Tennessee; his nieces, Barbara Shaw of Bethesda, Md., Christine Bruce of Rydal, Pa., Claire Barrus of Cary, N.C.; and brother-in-law, John A. Weickel Sr. of Bradenton, Fla. A memorial service in celebration of Mr. King's faithful service to the Lord Jesus Christ will be held on Saturday morning, Nov. 28, 2009, at 11 o'clock in First Presbyterian Church in Bristol Tennessee with Dr. Gordon Turnbull officiating. FAMILY AND FRIENDS WILL BE RECEIVED IN THE CHURCH FELLOWSHIP HALL FOLLOWING THE SERVICE. Honorary pallbearers will be Frank DeFriece, Roy Williams, Eric Fields, Dr. Don Cross, Stuart Atkinson, Ronald Rackley, PE., George Parks, Jim Moser, Dr. Bobby Cox and George King. The family would like to express a very special appreciation to each of the care givers who very faithfully provided love and care to Mr. King during his final years with us. They are each a very special blessing. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any memorials be submitted to First Presbyterian Church, 701 Florida Ave., Bristol, TN 37620, for the current church facilities upgrade campaign; or to the Bristol Historical Association, 308 Seventh St., Bristol, TN 37620, for the restoration of the E.W. King House. In addition to the above memorial designations, Mr. King's favorite charitable organizations include: Trans World Radio, P.O. Box 8700, Cary, NC 27512-8700; European Christian Radio Project, P.O. Box 1555, Riverbank, CA 95367; Jungle Aviation and Radio Services (JAARS), P.O. Box 248, Waxhaw, NC 28173; Endure International, P.O. Box 5562, Cary, NC 27512-5562; and King College, 1350 King College Road, Bristol, TN 37620. Condolences and memories can be shared with the family and viewed by visiting www.oakley-cook.com Mr. King and his family are in the care of Oakley Cook Funeral Home in Bristol Tennessee.