Stephen Warren Klare, 74, passed away on June 10, 2021. He earned Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Electrical Engineering at George Washington University, where he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. As part of his Master's thesis, he helped develop the first US Post Office zip code reader. Steve began his career at Bell Labs in Holmdel, NJ in 1969, and then left to pursue a PhD at ASU. In 1971, under the auspices of the Arizona Heart Institute, he earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering while developing the first miniaturized, wearable heart monitor.

Steve continued his career at Motorola in Phoenix, AZ, where he led engineering R&D teams to numerous breakthroughs for national defense and NASA. He taught ASU classes and mentored numerous engineers, all of whom deeply respected Steve's brilliance and appreciated his expectations of excellence. In one of his key contributions to technology and space exploration, he helped design the communications systems for NASA's Voyager I and II, which launched in 1977. Steve's signature is engraved on golden records that both spacecraft continue to carry through the galaxy, sending back communications from outside our solar system.



In 1981, Steve moved to Atlanta, where he led Lockheed advanced research teams. His unique combination of technical expertise and entrepreneurial vision drove him to found Intercept Technology Inc, an innovative high-tech firm, which he led for the last three decades. He grew the company from a small Atlanta team to a global operation, developing specialized engineering software used in aerospace and defense, wireless, and semiconductor industries. His exceptional leadership and compassionate mentoring inspired and motivated everyone around him to work tirelessly in the pursuit of excellence and innovation.



Steve will be buried in the St. Francis Garden at Arlington Memorial Park in Atlanta. Steve is survived by his wife Karen (Kroesen) Klare, three daughters, six granddaughters, one great-grandson, two brothers and a sister. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. (Source: ASU Foundation)