Karl Gerhard Hernqvist , 92, physicist at RCA in Princeton, NJ, passed away on Monday July 7, 2014 at Acorn Glen in Princeton , NJ after a four-year struggle with Alzheimer's. He is survived by his wife of 65 years Thyra Hildegard, and their children Lars Hernquist of Lexington, Massachusetts, Thomas Hernquist of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Ingrid Hernquist of Princeton, New Jersey. Karl is also survived by 7 grandchildren. He was born in Boras, Sweden on September 19, 1922. He became a U.S. citizen and resident of Princeton, New Jersey in 1952.

Dr. Hernqvist received a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, in 1959. He worked on radar and microwave instrumentation in the Royal Swedish Air Force in 1945 and 1946. From 1946 to 1952, he was engaged in electron-tube research at the Research Institute of National Defense, Stockholm. He was an American-Scandinavian Trainee at RCA Laboratories in 1949. In 1952, he joined RCA Laboratories and worked there until the company was sold in 1986. At RCA, he worked on microwave tubes, electron guns, and gas-discharge devices. In 1956, he independently conceived of and implemented the thermionic energy converter. In the 1960's, he became involved with gas laser technology, an area in which he made a number of pioneering contributions. Dr. Hernqvist gained an international reputation for his work. He received five RCA Laboratories Achievement Awards and holds 36 issued patents. He was a member of the Sigma Xi Society and The National Geographic Society and a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

Dr. Hernqvist was a world-renowned scientist in the field of gas lasers. In 1970, he was awarded the Fellow designation at RCA Laboratories, a title comparable to that used by universities and technical societies. He was given the award in recognition of his work in the fields of gas discharge devices, thermionic energy conversion, and laser technology. He received the David Sarnoff Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement, RCA's top technical honor, in 1974, and was honored for "innovative contributions to the development of gas lasers and for his ability to shorten the time cycle between research and commercial applications." In 1982 Karl was again awarded the Outstanding Technical Achievement for his work to resolve major quality defects in RCA color picture television tubes. Presented and published papers by Karl on the quality improvements related to arc suppression include "Studies of Flashovers and Preventive Measures for Kinescope Guns'" presented at IEEE Consumer Electronics Conference in Chicago, Illinois, in November 1980 and published in IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics, May 1981 Vol. CE-27, No. 2, pp 117-128.

Karl was devoted to his family. He enjoyed traveling throughout the world with them; he was a skilled photographer and talented stained glass artist, and an avid follower of classical music.

A memorial service will be held at Stone Hill Church 1025 Bunn Dr., Princeton, NJ on August 16th at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association.