Patrick J. Schlesinger

1934 - 2016

Patrick J. Schlesinger December 16, 1934 - June 21, 2016 Solana Beach Patrick J. Schlesinger, a patent attorney and long-time resident of Solana Beach, California, passed away in his sleep on June 21, 2016, after a short battle with cancer. He was 81. He will be remembered as a loving husband, father and grandfather with a tremendous sense of humor, keen intelligence and generous spirit. At the time of his death, he was still grieving for his wife, Margaret, who passed away on February 9, 2016.Pat was born in Ponca City, Oklahoma, to Patrick R. and Fay H. Schlesinger. Pat's father was a civil engineer and his upbringing led to a life-long interest in mathematics and engineering. He attended high school in Ponca City and then entered the University of Oklahoma, from which he received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1957. Upon graduation, he started working for the General Electric Company in Washington, D.C. During his time in D.C., he met his future wife, Margaret Moncrief, and entered law school at George Washington University. After their marriage in 1959, they moved to Oklahoma where Pat worked as a patent associate in Tulsa. He received his J.D. from the University of Tulsa in 1961. In 1963, Pat, Margaret, and their young son moved to California, where Pat worked for the Friden Division of the Singer Company as a patent attorney. In 1967, at the age of 33, Pat became the Patent Counsel for Friden.In 1972, Pat was hired as Patent Counsel for Rohr, Inc., a $1 billion aerospace manufacturer that also produced mass transit railcars for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) district and the Washington DC METRO system. In addition to his intellectual property work in the U.S., his work at Rohr involved licensing and joint venture work in Europe and Asia that fed his interest in international travel.He retired from Rohr in 1993 and worked as a consultant, expert witness, and patent attorney for private law firms and aerospace companies for many years. He received many honors throughout his career, serving as president of the San Francisco Peninsula Patent Law Association in 1966 and the San Diego Patent Law Association in 1979. He was admitted to practice before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.During retirement, Pat volunteered with the Solana Beach Civic and Historical Society and supported Margaret's activities in the Solana Beach city government and with various non-profit groups such as the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy.Pat is survived by his son, Patrick M. Schlesinger of Kensington, California; daughter, Ann H. Garrett of Laguna Niguel, California; and five grandchildren.A service will be held in his memory at 1:00pm on August 6, 2016, at the Solana Beach Presbyterian Church.Donations in his honor may be made to the Solana Beach Civic and Historical Society. Please sign the guest book online at legacy.com/obituaries/ delmartimes .