LESK, Israel Arnold

Israel Arnold Lesk, known to his friends as "Arnie", 77, retired Vice President of the Semiconductor Products Sector of Motorola, died of cancer March 5, 2004 at his home in Phoenix. Dr. Lesk received over sixty patents during his 35-year tenure at Motorola, from which he retired in 1994. His professional achievements paralleled the birth and growth of the semiconductor industry and integrated circuit technology. Later, he contributed to the research and development of computer chips. In the early 1970s, he was the scientific director of Motorola's solar energy research program. He presented scientific papers at international conferences throughout his career. Dr. Lesk was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada and raised in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. A graduate of the University of Alberta and the recipient of a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, he began his professional career at General Electric in Syracuse, New York in 1951, relocating to Scottsdale to work for Motorola in 1961. He was a founding member and past president of Har Zion Congregation in Scottsdale and was later active in Congregation Beth Ami in Phoenix. Survivors include his wife, Darleen, children Sharon, Jeffrey, Brian and Kevin Lesk, and granddaughters Emily and Hannah Lesk; children Sherry Worth and Robert Ellis, and grandchildren Bill Worth, and Tom, Dawn and Elizabeth Ellis. Services were Sunday, March 7, 2004 at Sinai Mortuary 4538 N. 16th St., Phoenix. Published in the Arizona Republic on 3/7/2004.