Synrad founder dead at 62
Peter Laakmann, founder of Synrad Inc. (Mukilteo, WA), died Oct. 1 at his home in Seattle, WA, after a five-year battle with lung cancer. Born January 16, 1936, in Hamburg, Germany, he came to the United States in 1957. He received a degree in electrical engineering from New York University. Between 1962 and 1978 he worked for Hughes Aircraft and Ford Aerospace on thermal imaging systems. Laakman was cofounder of a startup laser company in California in 1978 and moved to Seattle in 1986 to start Synrad, a leading maker of carbon dioxide lasers. He is survived by his wife, Christiane, eight children, and a grandson.