- NORTHRIDGE, CA--JBL Professional announced the passing of John Morgan Eargle at the age of 76. Dr. Sidney Harman, founder and executive chairman of Harman International Industries, the parent company of JBL, made the announcement.
JBL's John Eargle.
In announcing the passing, Dr. Harman called Eargle an industry legend and commended his 31 years of contributions to the JBL and Harman family of companies. "The industry lost a giant with the passing of John Eargle," Dr. Harman said, "but we at JBL and Harman International lost a beloved and revered member of our family. John Eargle cannot be replaced, but his life, his vision, and his many contributions to our industry can and will be memorialized in concrete ways by our company."
John Eargle joined JBL as a consultant in 1976, and shortly thereafter moved to a full-time position as Vice President of Product Development for a six-year period. In the early 1980's he returned to a consulting role with the title Senior Director, Product Development and Application, the position he held for the rest of his life.
John participated in product development activities for both the Professional and Consumer divisions of JBL, for Harman Becker on branded car sound systems, and for other Harman divisions such as AKG microphones. He wrote extensively for the companies, creating articles, applications and technical notes, owner's manuals and others materials in support of products and their use in recording and sound reinforcement. He championed the concept of flat power response in sound reinforcement applications, and conceived of the application of the Bi-Radial constant-coverage horns to both studio monitors and cinema systems. In 2002 John received a Scientific and Engineering Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences along with other JBL engineers for the concept, design and engineering of the modern constant-directivity, direct radiator style motion picture loudspeaker systems.
John Eargle is survived by brother Robert Gray Eargle, sister Pauline Tennison Eargle Dahlgren, nephew John Paul Eargle and five additional nieces and nephews, all of Texas. Funeral arrangements will be private. Industry colleagues have established a remembrance Website at www.johnmeargle.com. Plans are underway for a memorial convocation for friends and associates to be held in the near future. For more information visit www.harmanpro.com and www.jblpro.com.
