There will be a memorial service and reception to celebrate the life of P. Edward Mast on Sunday, August 7th beginning at 3:30pm, at Clark-Lindsay Village, 101 West Windsor Road, Urbana, IL.

Ed was born October 18, 1926 in Bourbon, IN. He lived in Churubusco and Nappanee, IN before moving to Peru, IN, where he met Phyllis Oury in 1937. In 1947 they began a 68 year marriage. He died on February 19, 2016 and was buried in Bremen, IN.

Ed graduated from Peru High School in 1944 and after being drafted, he enlisted in the Navy as an Electronics Technician's Mate in the fall of 1945 during World War II. His gift for teaching was soon recognized in the Navy and he taught courses for incoming electronic technicians. In 1946, after the war was over, he volunteered to serve on the USS Appalachian, a communications ship that was at the Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests. His service in the Navy led to his interest in antennas and radar systems, and he completed his undergraduate and Master's degrees in Electrical Engineering at Purdue University.

Ed came to the University of Illinois in 1952, starting a continuous association with the U of I by Ed, his children, and his grandchildren that has lasted for 64 years to date. He received a PhD in Electrical Engineering in 1958 and he remained at the U of I for his entire career as a Professor of Electrical Engineering, becoming Associate Head of the Electrical Engineering Department in 1985 before retiring in 1987. Teaching students was his passion and was always a high priority. The main focus of his research was on antennas, wave propagation, and electromagnetic field theory. In addition to his work at the U of I, he worked many summers for aerospace companies in Southern California, where he designed antennas for spacecraft and missiles, with a particular focus on electromagnetic propagation of radiofrequency signals during spacecraft reentry.

Please join Phyllis and the Mast family to celebrate Ed's life.