Obituary of Erwin Delano

ROCHESTER - Passed away on June 16, 2019, due to a tragic accident two days prior, and just 2 weeks short of his 93rd birthday. Ed was predeceased by his cherished wife Ann in 2007 after 51 years of marriage; his brothers William and Howard and sister Vera. He is survived by his sister-in-law and brother-in-law Barbara and Robert Schrader and niece Patricia Schrader of Rochester, NY; brother Lou Queralt of Paramus, NJ; sister Gloria Horvath of Ocala, FL; many other nieces and nephews. Ed served in the US Army, was sent to Yale for training in the Japanese language, and then sent to Japan as part of the occupation force after WWII. After service, the GI bill allowed him to return to Yale for a bachelor’s degree and attend CalTech. As a lens designer for Bausch and Lomb in the 1950s and early 1960s, Ed designed the CinemaScope lens which allowed 20th Century-Fox to show widescreen, panoramic movies without distortion. He was an Honorary Member of the Optical Society of America, Rochester Section. Dr. Delano received his Ph.D. in Optical Engineering in 1966 from the University of Rochester. In 1963, he began a 26 year career teaching physics and astronomy courses at St. John Fisher College. In retirement, he taught graduate courses parttime at the Institute of Optics at the U of R. A humble and gentle man, Ed was of Puerto Rican heritage and born and raised in Spanish Harlem. He was a cat lover (his 2 beloved cats Mimi and Dinah) and had lifelong interests in astronomy and computer programming. At Ed’s request, there will be no funeral or memorial service.