Imagine my surprise, as a radio DJ, when I find out that the ‘Father of FM Radio’; the inventor of the airwaves, was a Fairbury, Illinois native!! 

Carl G. Eilers’ love for electronics spawned at a very young age in good ole Fairbury, where he was born and raised.  Eilers attended country school in the Fairbury area where he graduated from high school in 1943.  After then serving in the United States Navy for 3 years, Eilers decided to continue his education to further explore the world of engineering.  He graduated from Purdue University with his bachelor’s in electrical engineering and received his master’s degree in electrical engineering from Northwestern University. 

Upon graduation, Eilers accepted a position at Zenith Electronics LLC, where he remained employed for 50 years.  It was here that Eilers co-developed production of high-fidelity stereo sound over the airwaves—also known as FM stereo broadcasting!  In 1961, the Federal Communications Commission adopted the stereo FM broadcast, which is still in use today.  Before that year, only phonographs could produce the high-quality sound. 

Eilers’ received many honors for his work in electronics including the IEEE Masaru Ibuka Consumer Electronics Award in 1994, several “technical excellence” awards, and was even inaugurated into the Consumer Hall of Fame in 2000.  The Consumer Electronics Associate recognized him for “high-fidelity stereo sound that revolutionized the radio listening experience”.  Eilers’ work also made great strides in the world of television technology, where he also holds a unique place in technology history.

Eilers and his wife, Sandra, were long-time residents of River Forest, Illinois, where he passed away from a heart attack in 2008.  The man was a true revolutionary, and I take pride in sharing the his hometown.

– Cat