AT readers will be saddened to learn that regular contributor Peter Skurkiss passed away at the age of 75 years.

Peter died of complications of cancer, which he had been struggling against for years, on October 30.

Peter Skurkiss was born in Bloomfield, New Jersey on October 6, 1946.  He studied at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, earning a B.S. in physical chemistry/mathematics in 1968, and at Hoboken's Stevens Institute of Technology, earning an M.S. in management science in 1982.  He returned to Fairleigh Dickinson later that same decade, taking home an MBA in 1989.

Peter had a distinguished C.V. working for leading technology companies, including a position as senior manufacturing engineer for the avionics division of Cessna, a member of the technical staff of Bell Labs, and the V.P. of manufacturing of Merrimac.  He also acted as director of quality assurance for the ASPE company and was a manager at Litton Corporation, as well as production manager with Coltene/Whaledent in New York City.

Peter began writing for AT in 2012 with "Barack Obama and the Pepsi Challenge."  In the ensuing years, he applied an engineer's incisiveness mixed with simple common sense to the gamut of political topics, ranging from electoral politics to the culture wars to the Second Amendment.  Rarely did a week pass without his byline appearing on AT.  His final piece, "An insider's take on the Biden energy strategy," appeared on October 24.  His entries in AT's archives number no fewer than 357, an impressive total by anyone's measure.

The AT staff is grateful for the opportunity to work with Peter Skurkiss.  We will no longer see the quizzical tag "Emisku" in our email inbox, and will miss his sturdy, dependable presence on our corner of the ramparts.  With his passing, AT is a little less than it was.

We extend our sympathies to Emilia Skurkiss and the other members of his family.  The family encourages donations in Peter's memory to the Cancer Society or One of a Kind Animal Rescue in Akron, Ohio. 

Image: Emilia Skurkiss.

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