Leroy "Lee" Gould was born on August 14, 1944 at the Cambridge City Hospital (Cahill House) when the temperature reached the highest ever recorded for that date, 100 degrees.
Throughout the 1950s, he attended grammar schools in Maynard and Cambridge. During that time, he would fix the broken toys of friends and won an award from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston two years in a row.
During his high school years at St. Mary's in Cambridge, he received awards from the Science Fair three years straight. One project that won praise related to Short Wave Communications (based on the work of Marconi); another year, he built a solar radio to illustrate how to harness the power of the sun; and as part of a MIT project in partnership with the Natick Solar House, he built a Crooks Radiometer.
Following high school, he worked as a Bundle Boy with classmates Peter Sorrentino, Joe Flynn and Jim Canavan at Stop & Shop, and later, as a short order chef at Duke's Diner.
From 1962 - 1966, he served in the US Air Force. The bases where he was stationed included Biloxi, Mississippi, Savannah Georgia, and Frankfurt Germany. He specialized as an Aircraft Radio and Radar Technician, and he serviced transport planes that carried wounded and dead servicemen in Vietnam.
Besides his mechanical and engineering ability, Lee also had musical talent, servicing as a drummer with the “Rockin’ Roulettes” while in Savannah, Georgia and he won 2nd Place in Air Force Worldwide Talent Contest while in Dover, Delaware.
Before he enrolled at Northeastern University where he earned as Associates Degree in Electronics Engineering an a Bachelors in Industrial Engineering Technology, Lee took a correspondence course on Transistor Theory at American University. Later, during his time at Northeastern, he designed “The Electric Chair” to control appliances by passing signals through household wiring and became the BSR Timer.
In 1968, he married Ann Sorrentino on June 15th at St. Mary’s Church in Cambridge. During that time, he was employed at Bell and Howell as an Electronics Technician, building surveillance equipment used by CIA and Law Enforcement.
His son Peter was born on July 19, 1969 and his daughter Maria was born three years later on Oct. 20.
From 1973 – 1996, he worked in various capacities for the Polaroid Corporation: first as a Production Line Technician on the SX-70 Camera and later as a Reliability, Failure Analyst and Corrosion Engineer. He was also part of the project that resulted in one of the first full frame video transmissions via phone line. He also Reversed Engineered a Kodak Instant Camera for a lawsuit and he contributed to the Electronic Design of an Instant Movie Projector (Tom Scholz) and Timing Sequencer.
During his years at Polaroid, he garnered the Boston University Mentor Award at a National Science Fair and the Polaroid Instant imaging Winner four times.
During the early 1980s, he took graduate classes in Integrated Circuit Design and Manufacturing at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Massachusetts.
For twelve years, from1986 to 1998, he served as a Professor of Computer Applications at Massasoit Community College and Northeastern University. During part of that time and later, he was also working for Northeastern University under Gould Computer Services, designing websites and VIP Business Cards and as a Computer Consultant and Data Recovery Specialist.
The Commercial Industrial Photographers of New England (CIPNE) presented him with the Digital Imaging “Seeing is Not Believing” Award and in 1996, he was awarded International Photo Repair Champion among 700 contestants. Had dinner with Dick Flutie and son Doug Flutie That same year, he founded Photo Genius, Inc. in Needham, MA.
In 2002, he founded Heritage Imaging in Newton where he worked as a Digital Imaging Specialist - Photo Restoration and in Canvas Art Printing.
He also received 7 author and inventor awards from defense contractor Raytheon, where worked as a Failure Analyst from 2001 – 2011.
Among Lee's various hobbies were: Software Developer, Speak and Spell clone, Megabucks, Testing Programs, Audio Designer, Panning control panel for 1st Boston (Tom Scholz) album, Audio Dynamic Range Expander, Synchronized Sound Activated Christmas Tree, Audio Equipment Restoration, H.H. Scott, Harmon Kardon that used Vacuum tubes, Automotive Electronics Designer, Electronic Voltage Regulator, Electronic Ignition, Dwell Extender, Linear Gas Gauge, Carpenter, Electrician, Painter and Plumber, Video Producer and Genealogist.
Lee was a devoted Husband, Father and Friend and was credited for saving 2 lives involving a driver in a diabetic coma whose car was rolling off a bridge into the Charles River.
Calling hours for Lee, who passed on May 27, will be held on Thursday, June 5, from 6-8pm in the funeral home. His burial will be private.
Arrangements by Magni Funeral Home, Newton.