Glen Robert Madland

Born on Feb. 28, 1927 to Bendix (Ben) and Ethel Madland, Glen was the youngest of four children.

He grew up on a farm near Inwood, Iowa, and from the beginning he was inquisitive. He made a crystal radio with an antenna that ran from the house to a tree or the barn, long enough to drive a speaker rather than just a headphone.

In May of 1944, Glen joined the Navy to study and apply electronic technical training. In 1945, he completed courses with the U.S. Naval Training School in Del Monte, Calif. and the Naval Air Technical Training Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. In July 1946, Glen was honorably discharged from the Navy; he was just 19 years old.

He went to Iowa State on the GI bill and received a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering in 1950. While going to school he repaired police radios and started working with Motorola in Chicago. In 1955, he acquired a first class radio telephone operator license with the U.S.A. Federal Communications Commission.

He married Jean Miller from Iowa in 1948. While living in Chicago, they had two children, Paul and Pamela. In the mid-1950s, the family moved to Phoenix when Glen was transferred to Motorola's Semiconductor Products Division. He was very involved with developing commercial communications products, testing and researching integrated circuit processes. Their third child Peter was born in 1957, a week before Christmas. Glen continued to tinker in electronics and worked on several projects at home including an electrical ignition system for cars.

In 1964, Glen left Motorola and founded his own company known as I.C.E. (Integrated Circuit Engineering), a semiconductor consulting firm located in Scottsdale. He was president and then chairman until it was sold in 2001.

He traveled extensively on business especially to Japan and South Korea, where the field of electronics was growing rapidly. To keep the business growing, I.C.E. operated an office in France which served European companies for a few years. Glen and I.C.E. became well known in the industry for expertise in integrated circuit engineering, and assisted electronics firms with training, acquisitions, evaluations, management, and contractual litigations.

In 1994, Glen was honored with a lifetime membership with the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers or IEEE. After an initial contact with the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institute, Division of Electricity, Glen was asked if he would like to make a donation of documents and chips to the institution. It resulted in a Deed of Gift of many publications and products from I.C.E. The project was finally completed in 2002 and is now a permanent part of the museum's collection.

Glen acquired eight patents related to his work in electronic engineering which are listed on a web page with the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History web site on the history of the integrated circuits.

Retiring from I.C.E. did not stop him from working or being active in the community. He enjoyed traveling with his wife in a motor home visiting family and friends, and seeing great sites across the country. He and his wife were active members of Scottsdale United Methodist Church for many years.

They were long-term residents of Fountain Hills and stayed in their house on the hill for as long as they could. He never stopped trying to invent things or find the next technical breakthrough in the healthcare industry. He set an example of independence and hard work along with passion and love.

Glen passed away on Dec. 2, 2017 at the age of 90. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, three children and four grandchildren.

Last March, family and friends gathered in his honor with a remembrance celebration of life.