Sarkis Acopian was an inventor, industrialist, environmentalist, and humanitarian who came to the United States as an immigrant from Iran in 1945. He studied mechanical engineering at Lafayette College

Lafayette College

Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...

 in Easton, Pennsylvania

Easton, Pennsylvania

Easton is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,800 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....

. He left Lafayette to serve in the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

. After he received an honorable discharge, he graduated from Lafayette with a B.S. in mechanical engineering.

Career

After graduation, Acopian was employed by Weller Electric Corp., where he designed a power sander and a soldering gun that later became two of their main products. He started his own company, Acopian Technical Company, in 1957. There he designed and manufactured the first ever solar radio. The Acopian Solar Radio was promoted as "Revolutionary - No Batteries or Outside Electrical Plug-ins - Uses light for its source of energy" on the 1957 product's instruction sheet.

In 1960, Acopian Technical Company began manufacturing low-cost, plug-in regulated power supplies that used vacuum tubes and plugged into a standard octal socket. Today, Acopian Technical Company remains a leading power supply manufacturer.

Philanthropy

Acopian supported many non-profit agencies throughout his lifetime. "He has made numerous donations to national and international causes which have included The Acopian Engineering Center at Lafayette College, the Acopian Center for Conservation and Learning at Hawk Mountain

Hawk Mountain

Hawk Mountain is a mountain ridge, part of the Blue Mountain Ridge in the Appalachian Mountain chain, located in central-eastern Pennsylvania near Reading and Allentown. The area includes 13,000 acres of protected private and public land, including the 2,600 acre Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.The River...

 Sanctuary, The Acopian Center for Ornithology at Muhlenberg College

Muhlenberg College

Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America.- History...

, as well as endowing the environmental education program at the American University of Armenia

American University of Armenia

The American University of Armenia is a private, nonsectarian, independent university founded in 1991 in Yerevan, Armenia. Its creation inspired in the aftermath of the 1988 Leninakan Earthquake, the university is the first Armenian institution modeled on Western-style higher education, committed...

 and the Florida Institute of Technology

Florida Institute of Technology

Florida Institute of Technology, also known as Florida Tech, is an independent private technical research university located in Melbourne, Florida, United States. Founded in 1958 as Brevard Engineering College, the institute has been known by its present name since 1966. Florida Tech's curriculum...

.".

In a speech honoring Acopian, United States Representative Charles Dent

Charles Dent

Charles Dent may refer to:* Charlie Dent , American politician* John Charles Dent , Canadian author and journalist* Charles Dent , Northwest Territories politician...

 recounted a story from former senator Bob Dole

Bob Dole

Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...

. Acopian donated $1 million to the National World War II Memorial

National World War II Memorial

The U.S. National World War II Memorial is a National Memorial dedicated to Americans who served in the armed forces and as civilians during World War II...

, the single largest contribution. In return, Acopian asked only for a seat at the dedication ceremony.