George Doundoulakis
George James Doundoulakis | |
|---|---|
| Born | George James Doundoulakis October 18, 1921 |
| Died | March 17, 2007 (aged 85) North Bellmore, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Greenfield Cemetery, Uniondale, New York |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | Brooklyn Polytechnic |
| Known for | Arecibo radio telescope suspension system |
| Spouse | Chrysanthe Markomihelakis |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics, Electronics, Radar |
| Institutions | Brooklyn Polytechnic, RCA Institutes, General Bronze Corporation |
| Doctoral advisor | Paul Peter Ewald |
| Military career | |
| Nickname(s) | American George, George Papadakis, Stork |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Rank | First Sergeant |
| Unit | Office of Strategic Services |
| Battles / wars | Second World War Mediterranean Theater of Operations |
| Awards | King's Medal Legion of Merit |
George James Doundoulakis (October 18, 1921 – March 17, 2007) was a Greek American physicist and soldier who worked under British Intelligence during World War II with SOE agent Patrick Leigh Fermor, and then served with the OSS in Thessaly, Greece.
He is known by his twenty-six US Patents in the fields of radar, electronics, and narrowband television. Doundoulakis is best remembered for the idea of suspending the antenna feed of the Arecibo radio telescope by cables and towers, eventually patented by his brother Helias Doundoulakis.
A decorated veteran of World War II, Doundoulakis formed an underground resistance organization in Crete under the Special Operations Executive. He escaped to Egypt and joined the U.S. Army and Office of Strategic Services – the OSS. He was sent back to Greece, where he outfitted and unified a leftist rebel army, and was awarded the Legion of Merit from the United States Army and the King's Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom from Great Britain.