November 2023

In Memoriam: Victor J. Kemper (1927-2023)

Born on April 14, 1927, in Newark, N.J., Victor J. Kemper displayed a keen interest in electronics at an early age. Though he watched Saturday afternoon serials at the local movie theater now and then, he spent more time building radios and repairing his neighbors’ television sets. “I think I was an engineer from the day I was born,” he said. “Becoming a cinematographer — or, in fact, having anything to do with the film business — was the furthest thing from my mind.” After graduating from Seton Hall University, Kemper found work at a local TV station, where he recorded and mixed sound, repaired cameras and served as technical director on studio productions. When he learned that a California company had invented 2” black-and-white...more