Ed Kaplan (ME ’65, Hon Ph.D. ENG ’23)
Longtime Illinois Tech Board of Trustees member Ed Kaplan, the driving force behind the creation of the Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship on Mies Campus, passed away in July 2025. Kaplan’s accomplishments include his entrepreneurial success as a pioneer of barcode technology and co-founder of Zebra Technologies, which has brought great distinction to the field and to Illinois Tech. The creation of the Kaplan Institute in 2018 was due in large part to Kaplan’s vision to ensure that each Illinois Tech student had access to a world-class facility where they could develop their own innovation mindset and one day launch their own business. He remained committed to the Kaplan Institute and its initiatives as a member of the Kaplan Institute Board of Advisors and by establishing the Kaplan Student Fabrication Center. Over the years, Illinois Tech has been distinctly honored to recognize Kaplan with the university’s Award of Merit in 2000, the Alumni Medal in 2011, and an honorary doctorate in 2023, and to nominate him for the national Tau Beta Pi Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2021.
Arlington “Art” Carter Jr. (EE ’61)
Arlington Carter Jr., the first African American to join Boeing’s executive team, leading to a lengthy career that culminated in him serving as vice president of Boeing Aerospace and deputy manager of the defense systems division, died on May 28, 2025, at age 92. A United States Air Force veteran of the Korean War, Carter started working for Boeing in 1961 after graduating from Illinois Tech. He joined Boeing’s executive team in 1978; was selected to head all space-defense-system programs in 1985; and retired as corporate vice president of facilities, capital investments, and continuous quality improvement at the company. In 1990, he was named Black Engineer of the Year—an honor presented by the deans of Historically Black Colleges and Universities with accredited engineering programs and key leaders from Fortune 500 companies, including the chief executive officer of Mobil Oil. In 1998, Carter became the first African American to become a member of Illinois Tech’s Philip Danforth Armour Society and later also received the university’s Alumni Medal for his accomplishments. In Seattle, Carter established and managed a nonprofit organization that built and refurbished housing for low- and moderate-income families and volunteered with the Seattle Chapter of the NAACP for many years.
Robert Arzbaecher
Robert Arzbaecher, the founding director of the Pritzker Institute of Medical Engineering at Illinois Tech, died in summer 2025. Arzbaecher, who taught at numerous universities throughout his career before coming to Illinois Tech in 1982, was a prolific and renowned academic who wrote more than 100 articles in cardiology and medical engineering. His knowledge of electrocardiology led him into the world of entrepreneurship, where he successfully launched several products and business ventures.