Charles B. Rubinstein
About Optica
In Memoriam: Charles B. Rubinstein, 1933 - 2021
30 January 2021
Charles Benjamin Rubinstein, Optica Fellow, passed away on 30 January 2021 at the age of 87. Rubinstein headed the department of Human Factors at Bell Laboratories in 1977, which would later form the backbone of the AMPS cellular introduction in 1983.
Rubinstein was born on 25 December 1933 in the Bronx, New York. As a teenager, he joined the United States Merchant Marine and then went to serve in the US Army. After an honorable discharge, he returned to New York to finish his education and went to study at the City College of New York where he graduated with a bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering in 1957. He was the first to receive the Sandor I. Oesterreicher Prize for Excellence in the study of Electrical Engineering. Rubinstein continued his education at New York University, receiving his master’s in Electrical Engineering in 1959. He then joined the technical staff at Bell Laboratories where his research involved the visual threshold.
In 1977, Rubinstein was recognized with Fellow status from Optica. Around this same time, Rubinstein began to lead the Department of Human Factors at Bell Laboratories. He authored 30 technical publications and held at least nine patents.
Outside of optics, Rubinstein had a passion for wine and became a connoisseur, befriending vineyard owners, and winemakers. He taught wine courses at Brookdale Community College, Fairleigh Dickinson University, and The New School. He also wrote for magazines including Wine & Spirits, and The Wine Spectator, and contributed a weekly wine column for the local New Jersey paper, The Two River Times. Rubinstein and his wife, Phyllis, were also members of organizations such as People-to-People International and Monmouth Reform Temple.
Rubinstein is survived by his wife, Phyllis, his daughters, Barrie and Mindy, and his son Steve.
Optica and the scientific community mourn his loss.
