Dr. Fest attended Polytechnic University where he graduated with a BS in EE. He taught in vocational schools and was an assistant professor until offered a scholarship by Heidelberg University and Armour Research Foundation in 1960. He opted to attend IITRI and graduated with a Ph.D. in EE.
Dr. Fest has worked for ARF in advance solid-state research and co-authored several patent papers. He was a contributor to the development of the PBX at Automatic Electric Co. and then joined Zenith Radio Corp. under contract with NASA, working on the Apollo program. In 1972 he founded OTEK
Corporation after resigning from NASA where he worked on Apollo 17th. He has 42 patents/co-patents and at 83, he’s working on # 43 & 44 code name PPP. He has 7 children, 4 of them working at Otek & teaching his grandchildren an honest job, assuring the clan continuity for generations to come.