After an oil embargo in the mid-1970s thrust energy issues into the national dialogue, the fledgling clean-energy field saw a boom in interest. One passionate self-starter decided to found a company, Solar Technology International, that would become America's longest continuously operated solar manufacturer. That person was Bill Yerkes, whom alternative energy industry professionals confidently cite as a founding father of the modern solar industry.
John "Bill" Yerkes, '56, died on January 29 in Santa Barbara, Calif., from an adenocarcinoma of unknown origin. He was 79.
Yerkes got his start as project manager and designer for the Boeing Co.'s spacecraft test facility in Washington State. In the 1960s, he helped produce solar arrays for the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. Inspired by the mission's success, Yerkes looked for a way to expand the use of solar technology back on Earth. He dedicated his life to engineering cost-efficient photovoltaic systems that could convert solar energy into electricity for a growing global consumer base.
Yerkes was distinctive among photovoltaic professionals for his "off the grid" mentality, says colleague and friend Charles Gay. While serving as acting president of Arco Solar in the 1980s, Yerkes constructed an energy-independent home—powered entirely by solar panels—in the Chatsworth hills. The Los Angeles Times dubbed him a "maverick" for living by the product he sold.
His work "came as naturally to him as breathing," recalls his wife, Sara. She remembers her husband as an unself-conscious and generous human being who enjoyed sharing his passions—wine, art, Formula 1 racing and dance—with the many people he met during his world travels. And he could not help but inspire those around him, including his late daughter, Kathleen Pomeroy, '80, who followed in his footsteps at Stanford and earned a degree in mechanical engineering.
Richard Swanson, PhD '75, SunPower Corp.'s founder, added that Yerkes had a "unique ability to form lifelong friendships with his former employees."
In addition to his wife, Yerkes is survived by his daughter Kari Ellen Hummel and three grandchildren.
Naomi Elias is a student in the master's program in journalism.
