Peter Horowitz, a leader in entrepreneurship, technology, and philanthropy, passed away June 21, 2023, after a long battle with cancer.
Peter was born in 1936 to Harry and Ruth (Levy) Horowitz. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at MIT (1959), where he was a brother of Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from New York University (1961).
In 1983, with wife Elizabeth, he launched EVI, Inc., a company specializing in secure communications systems. Based in Columbia, Maryland, the company grew to over 50 employees and was sold in 2001; it is now a division of L3 Harris.
The Horowitz’s established the Peter & Beth Horowitz Fund, an endowed, unrestricted fund at the Community Foundation, in 1992. The Peter & Beth Horowitz Fund thrives as a lasting legacy of Peter and Beth’s commitment to our community, and the fund will provide valuable resources in perpetuity.
An active member of the Columbia community, Peter was a Board member of both Howard Community College and the Howard County Arts Council. It was his involvement with the college that led Elizabeth and him to make their most significant philanthropic contribution: a million-dollar grant in 2004 that led to the naming of the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center in 2006, and that proved to be a catalyst for giving in the Howard County community.
Prior to founding EVI, Peter was Director of Manufacturing for Intex, Inc., where he developed the first successful walk-through metal detectors. Widely deployed, the Sentrie metal detector eventually captured 50% of the worldwide market in airport metal detectors. At its height, their metal detector was used at airports, embassies, and the White House.
In retirement Peter continued to innovate. In May 2014, he published in the magazine QEX a technical article RF Power Amplification Using a High Voltage, High Current IGBT, and in 2017 he presented the results of his research at AES New York on Engineered Remote-Sensing Audio Power Amplifier for High-Fidelity Applications. And in his last years he authored a charming and enthusiastic introduction to the joys of mathematics, illustrated with discoveries of the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians, for his great grandchildren.
Since 2005, Peter and Elizabeth made their home in Sarasota, Florida. Besides Elizabeth, he is survived by children, Faith Horowitz, Sandra Hand, and Matthew Horowitz; grandchildren, Erin Kurtz, Stacy Monza, Scott Hand, and Sydney Speizman; and siblings, Paul Horowitz and Elizabeth Lea.
A memorial service will be held at a future date in Columbia, Maryland.
(obituary courtesy of legacy.com)