JOHN FITZALLEN MOORE

1928 - 2018

The family of Lake County entrepreneur and physicist John Fitzallen Moore is sad to report his death on January 31, 2018, at the age of 89. Born John Moore Untermeyer on February 23, 1928 in London, England to American poets Louis Untermeyer and Virginia Moore, he was renamed after his parents' divorce. A resident of Illinois since 1976, first in Lake Bluff and then in Libertyville, he is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years Betty-Ann (Jorgensen) Moore, loving children Laurel Moore (Michael White), Marjorie (John) Fish, Sheila (James) Kaplan, Cristopher Moore (Tracy Conrad), and Jonathan Moore, 12 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Laurence Untermeyer, sister-in-law Jean Jorgensen, and loving nieces and nephews. His daughter Deborah and son Robin predeceased him. John was captivated by mathematics and the wonders of the world from an early age, and delighted in sharing them, especially with his family. Growing up in the 1930s in Italy, Spain, and Switzerland, and at his mother's home in Scottsville, Virginia, he acquired further interest in the world around him. After an education at the High Mowing School in New Hampshire, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (where he co-founded the Tech Model Railroad Club), and Harvard University, John applied his talents and interests on innovations ranging from radar telemetry to microwave transmissions and spectroscopy. He earned his Ph.D. in Physics from Columbia University with a thesis proving the greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide on the surface temperature of the planet Venus. Work in the field of medical electronics and x-ray products led to his founding Bio-Imaging Research, Inc. (BIR) in Lincolnshire, Illinois in 1980. Among many other technologies, BIR devised improvements for computed tomography ("CAT") scanners, making it possible for doctors to obtain higher-quality images with lower doses of radiation. He held over 20 patents, was named a KPMG Peat Marwick High Tech Entrepreneur of the Year in 1987, and received the Arthur Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award in 1989. He served as member and Chairman of the U.S. Naval Surface Weapons Board for several years. He was a member of the scientific honor society Sigma Xi. John retired as Chairman of the Board and CEO of BIR in 2007. His retirement years were filled with continued enthusiasm for family, hobbies, and international travel. A celebration of his life will be held at a date to be announced.