Edward Mitri Karkar

Edward Mitri Karkar

Edward Mitri Karkar, 81, of San Francisco, CA died December 22nd 2013.  Born to a prominent family in Jaffa, Palestine, and formerly a refugee, he was one of the first Palestinians to immigrate to America and achieve a high degree of business and social success.  He attended Stanford and graduated with a BS from UC Berkeley and in 1959 founded 'Karkar Electronics'; a telecommunications company that developed, engineered, and manufactured a complete line of state-of-the-art voice and data communications.  Innovative microwave filters, high density multiplexers, single-side-band radio, and satellite communications were produced as 'Karkar Electronics' equipment was adopted as standard by the department of defense and NATO.  It became a main supplier to companies such as Raytheon, AT&T, and MCI.  A luminary in the telecommunications field, Edward Karkar was considered a Silicon Valley pioneer, cultivating a generation of technology executives and entrepreneurs and laying groundwork for the fertile environment that exists today.  In 1976 he married esteemed Soviet-Russian prima ballerina Natalia Makarova with whom he remained for the duration of his life.  A member of the Bohemian Club, and involved with the 'Institute for Social and Economic Policy in the Middle East' at Harvard University, he was knighted by the Order of St. John for his lifelong achievements and charity.  A devout lover of classical violin and music, he is survived by his wife and son Andrei Karkar, his brother Michel Karkar, sister Vera Khabbaz and their families.  He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.  A memorial service will be held Sunday, January 5, 6pm at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in San Francisco 5200 Diamond Heights Blvd. Contributions in his memory may be made to ANERA.