The man who was killed in a workplace accident Friday afternoon at Port San Antonio has been recognized as 72-year-old David Monroe.
Monroe was a prolific inventor credited with creating the cellphone digicam and founding the San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology (SAMSAT).
Police and firefighters responded to a name on the Boeing Center at Tech Port at 4:30 p.m. Friday, the place SAMSAT is positioned, after stories that a big piece of kit, described by officers as probably a jet engine, had fallen on a person. Firefighters declared Monroe useless on the scene close to a loading dock, in response to the San Antonio Fire Department.
Port San Antonio on Saturday confirmed Monroe’s identification in a press release remembering him as a visionary who left a mark on the native and world expertise trade.
“David was a force for good who transformed countless lives he touched,” wrote Tracy Idell Hamilton, communication supervisor for the port, in the assertion. “To the Port team, he was a friend and partner who inspired us and, through his beloved SAMSAT and museum team, worked hand in hand in a shared vision to make the world a better place.”
The San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology, which Monroe led as chief govt officer, additionally issued a press release via its web site on behalf of his spouse, Lorena, and the museum staff.
“David Monroe was a prolific inventor, a driven entrepreneur, and a man with a heart for technology’s impact on the lives of adults and children,” the assertion learn. “His contribution to the digital age has been felt all over the world. His final chapter was bringing this impact to all corners of San Antonio. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and colleagues at SAMSAT and beyond.”
Monroe’s profession in expertise started whereas he was nonetheless in highschool, engaged on electrical engineering initiatives for municipal and aerospace shoppers. By 27, he had turn into vp of analysis and growth at Datapoint Corporation, a San Antonio-based agency that grew right into a Fortune 500 firm. He went on to guide a number of corporations in the electronics, communications and safety sectors.
Over the a long time, Monroe secured at the least 54 patents, with improvements spanning the early microcomputer processor, wi-fi networking, teleradiology and digital imaging. He is well known for pioneering expertise that made the cellphone digicam potential.
Outside of his enterprise ventures, Monroe devoted himself to preserving and sharing expertise’s historical past. A objective he pursued via SAMSAT, the museum works to encourage college students and adults alike to discover science, expertise, engineering and math via instructional packages and summer time camps. Monroe additionally spearheaded the FoxWorks, a high-end maker house on the Port San Antonio campus.
His contributions and innovations in town and past earned him the San Antonio Technology Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 and the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award in 2017.
“To tens of thousands of people — youngsters and adults alike — he was a tireless leader deeply committed to providing opportunities to lifelong learning,” Port San Antonio stated in its assertion.
Reporter Jasper Kenzo Sundeen contributed to this story.