David Hutson Kittell

DAVID HUTSON KITTELL

long-time resident of 42 Ardsley Road in Stamford, CT, died on Sunday, August 26, 2007 in Burlington, VT from emphysema following a brief hospital stay. He was 72 years old and passed peacefully in the manner of his choosing. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Linda (Moe) Kittell. Their son Jake lives in Morrisville, VT, with his wife Laura and children Miles and Annie Kittell. Their daughter Chelsea Lee lives in The Woodlands, TX, with her husband Lans and their children Eli and Ezra Taylor. David loved his four beautiful grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister Nancy Johnson of Marblehead, MA, several nieces and nephews in northeastern MA, and his beloved golden retriever Darwin. He is predeceased by two sisters, Dolly Burridge of Marblehead, MA, and Claire Williams of Stamford, CT, and by his faithful canine companion Livermore.

David was born on September 10, 1935 in Haverhill, MA to Greta F. Ellison and Wm. Horace Kittell. As a youth, he loved to sail and spent many afternoons exploring the New England coast by sea. He attended Cardigan Mountain School in Canaan, NH, and Proctor Academy in Andover, NH. He spent two years at Dartmouth College, attended New York School of Photography and later graduated with High Honors from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science from the School of Engineering.

He started his career as a photographer which continued to be his hobby throughout his life. David worked as an engineer for Time Inc., Barnes Engineering, and Perkin Elmer, before launching his own consulting company, Sage Systems. During his career he made equipment for NASA that traveled on the space shuttle as well as major contributions to the Hubble Space Telescope including designing the machine that polished the mirror. He developed the world's first actively deformable mirrors demonstrating that it was possible to correct for the distortions of the atmosphere in real time. Many of the world's most important telescopes now benefit from these systems.

David was regarded by many as the father of the engineering discipline, Precision Mechanics. He taught his course bearing this name first at the Perkin Elmer Technical Institute and later at Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) and The American Society of Precision Engineering (ASPE), Bell Labs, Lawrence Livermore National Labs, The Laboratory for Laser Energetics at the University of Rochester,The Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics in Victoria, B.C., Corning Inc. and many other locations nationwide. His book on the subject Precision Mechanics, also known as "the little blue book" continues to be an inspiration to many engineers. He was not just a successful inventor, but an innovator and respected teacher. He holds 10 patents for fine alignment and positioning mechanisms, as well as for an elegant roach clip.

David was an avid animal lover. He made daily trips to Mianus River Park in Greenwich and to Cove Island Park in Stamford with his beloved dogs. In recent years, he and Linda spent their summers and holidays at a cabin on Lake Eden in northern Vermont. David was a keen observer of local wildlife, much of which he recorded on stunning home videos that he shared widely with friends and family. He was a staunch advocate for the legalization of marijuana and personal freedom.

He enjoyed traveling and made trips to Norway, Greenland and the Canadian High Arctic as well as a recent sailing tour with friends through the South China Sea. David also had a life-long love for music, from Bach to barbershop quartets to Bob Dylan. He was a tremendous supporter of many young musicians and regularly played guitar and sang in the evening. For several years, he inspired his friends to record their music, then compiled the recordings and produced an annual CD titled "Family & Friends" which included everything from his grandchildren's first attempts at 'Twinkle-Twinkle' to refined performances by professional musicians.

David's enthusiasm transcended both age and skill. His support and generosity will be missed by many.

A memorial service will be held at Gallagher Funeral Home at 2900 Summer Street, Stamford, CT, at 2:00 pm., Saturday, September 29th. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Defenders of Wildlife, PO Box 1553, Merrifield, VA 22116-1553.