- Date Of Birth: February 16, 1924
- Date Of Death: January 6, 2024
- Spouse: Grace Crandall Kuljian
- Siblings: Roy Kuljian, Joyce Abdulian
- Children: Claris, Gregg, Ann
- Resting Place: Healdsburg, CA
- Occupation: Engineer
- City: Palo Alto
- State: CA
The Bay Area recently lost a truly extraordinary man—Maynard John Kuljian. Passing a few weeks shy of his hundredth birthday, Maynard was born and raised in Van Nuys, California to Krikor Kuljian and Zekie Levonian Kuljian, immigrants who fled their home in Aintab, Turkey (Cilician Armenia) following the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
At a very early age Maynard exhibited a superior intellect, finding joy in creating electrical devices and devouring everything connected to electricity, chemistry, and mathematics. He was naturally talented musically, playing both the violin and piano. Following his service in the army during WWII, he attended Caltech followed by seminary, after which he entered pastoral ministry. Maynard freely shared how his life was guided by his deep, Christian faith. In 1953 he moved to Laguna Beach where he pastored a church, and for several years operated a radio and TV repair shop.
His fervor for engineering never diminished and he was hired by Beckman Instruments, working in rocketry instrumentation, overseeing many launches into space. In 1958, Beckman moved him to Palo Alto to start a new endeavor. He then worked at Ampex where he was one of a handful of engineers to invent slow motion for TV via the laser disc as well as the first computer branching learning system. Moving on to Applied Materials, he invented the controller for silicon chip reactors. Basically, there was no engineering challenge he could not address, making him an asset to many companies over the years.
Maynard was an expert pilot and was often found tinkering with his airplane, a Beechcraft Bonanza; he refurbished the cabin, overhauled the engine and enjoyed flying with his family for years.
Faced with the challenge of how to monitor the current-flow for a friend’s tomato-ripening system, he invented and developed the current sensor and founded his company in 1982. Neilsen-Kuljian Inc., became the first to develop the low-cost solid-state current sensing technology that underlies the industry today.
Upon retirement, he built his Healdsburg home, planted a vineyard with Syrah grapes and grew a variety of vegetables and fruits, becoming self-sufficient. He took great pleasure in photographing the wildlife and daily happenings on his farm and, from a felled walnut tree, fabricated most of the home’s furnishings in his beautiful, well-appointed wood shop.
He is preceded in death by his brother Roy Kuljian, (Iris) and wife, Grace Crandall Kuljian. He is survived by his children Claris, Ann and Gregg Kuljian, grandson John Bashyam, sister Joyce Abdulian and many nieces, nephews, dear relatives and friends.
His family considers him the luckiest man they have ever known. With tenacity and a deep faith, he was able to accomplish everything he wanted in life. He always used to say, “I don’t believe in miracles, I depend on them!”
A private Remembrance of Life will be held this month in San Francisco at the home of niece Martha Missirlian and family.
