SIMI VALLEY, CA – Eugene "Gene" Czerwinski, the audio innovator and founder of Cerwin-Vega, died Aug. 6, 2010 at age 83. Czerwinski graduated from the University of Michigan and worked as an aerospace engineer before founding Cerwin-Vega in 1954.
Known for his interest in ever-more-powerful speaker and subwoofer designs, Czerwinski is credited with the first solid-state amplifier (1957), first 18-inch speaker (1964) and development with Universal Studios of Sensurround (1974), for which he was recognized with a technical Academy Award.
Cerwin-Vega was sold to the Stanton Group in 2002 and now has locations in Deerfield Beach, Fla., and Brussels, Belgium. Cerwin-Vega CEO, Timothy Dowart, recognized the Czerwinski's legacy and extended condolences to the family. Czerwinski is survived by a daughter, Connie, and two sons, Steven and Darius.
