Stephen Temmer
Stephen F. Temmer, an AES fellow, and important figure in the world of audio, died on October 8, 1992, at his home in New York City. He was 64 years of age. Mr. Temmer had a long membership history with the AES, dating back to the early days of its formation in 1949.
A native of Austria, he came to the U.S. in 1939, and continued his technical education at the Brooklyn Technical High School. he went on to further study at M.I.T. From there he began his career in the broadcasting field as well as recording, which had a close alliance to the needs of broadcasting at that time. During his lifetime, he was active in the pursuit of improved recording techniques. In the mid 70s he served the AES as vice president of the International Region, contributing to the formation of the Austrialia Section as well as the growth of sections in japan and China. he held the office of AES governor in the late 70s. Many of his business travels to foreign countries in later years further encompassed membership activity on behalf of the society.
As a studio engineer, Mr. Temmer was involved in the tape recording and editing of shows such as Groucho Marx, Martin and Lewis, Bing Crosby, Milton Berle and Meredith Wilson. He was also responsible for making the first tape recordings of the Metropolitan Opera for broadcast in 1948. He recorded "Edith Piaf at Carnegie Hall" in 1957 when he produced the album and cassette for Pathé-Marconi EMI. For his numerous accomplishments, he is listed in Who's Who in the East and Who's Who in Commerce and Industry.
For more than 25 years Mr. Temmer was president and owner of Gotham Audio Corporation in New York City and Glendale, California. In the academic world he spent time lecturing on audio recording and broadcasting at colleges across the U.S., Canada, and in China. He was appointed adjunct professor of music at The University of Iowa in 1983.
Temmer's life embraced areas of music, the preforming arts, and audio technology. An accomplished musician and an enthusiastic collector of modern art... Stephen Temmer, a man of many talents.
Donald J. Plunkett
Executive Director
Journal of the Audio Engineering Society
January 1993
Reprinted with permission of the Audio Engineering Society