Mark Serrurier
Encyclopedia
Mark Serrurier is the son of Dutch-born electrical engineer, Iwan Serrurier
, who created the Moviola
in 1924 which became the technology used for film editing. Mark was a graduate of Caltech and went on to work on designs for the Mt. Palomar
200 inch (5 m) Hale telescope
. The pioneering truss design he invented for that instrument's massive tube structure (the "Serrurier truss
") is still used today in large telescope designs. During World War II, Mark worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
testing jet aircraft engines. After the war in 1946 Mark took over as president of Moviola Co., his father Iwan’s company. Mark re-designed his fathers invention with many improvements and ran the company until he sold it in 1966. In 1979, Mark accepted a special Academy Award for Technical Achievement
" For the progressive development of the Moviola from the 1924 invention of his father, Iwan Serrurier, to the present Series 20 sophisticated film editing equipment". He only accepted after insisting that his late father's name would also appear on the statue. The Oscar sat on Mark's kitchen table until his death from Alzheimer's disease
on Valentine's Day
1988.
Mark Serrurier has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
for his contributions in Motion Pictures.
Iwan Serrurier
Iwan Serrurier was a Dutch-born electrical engineer notable for inventing the Moviola.-Career:Iwan Serrurier moved to the U.S. at the beginning of the twentieth century. He settled with his wife Catharina in Pasadena, California, where he sold real estate and worked for the Southern Pacific...
, who created the Moviola
Moviola
A Moviola is a device that allows a film editor to view film while editing. It was the first machine for motion picture editing when it was invented by Iwan Serrurier in 1924.-History:...
in 1924 which became the technology used for film editing. Mark was a graduate of Caltech and went on to work on designs for the Mt. Palomar
Palomar Observatory
Palomar Observatory is a privately owned observatory located in San Diego County, California, southeast of Pasadena's Mount Wilson Observatory, in the Palomar Mountain Range. At approximately elevation, it is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology...
200 inch (5 m) Hale telescope
Hale telescope
The Hale Telescope is a , 3.3 reflecting telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California, named after astronomer George Ellery Hale. With funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, he orchestrated the planning, design, and construction of the observatory, but did not live to see its commissioning...
. The pioneering truss design he invented for that instrument's massive tube structure (the "Serrurier truss
Serrurier truss
A Serrurier truss is used in telescope tube assembly construction. The design was created in 1935 by engineer Mark U. Serrurier when he was working on the Mt. Palomar Hale telescope. The design solves the problem of truss flexing by supporting the primary objective mirror and the secondary mirror...
") is still used today in large telescope designs. During World War II, Mark worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...
testing jet aircraft engines. After the war in 1946 Mark took over as president of Moviola Co., his father Iwan’s company. Mark re-designed his fathers invention with many improvements and ran the company until he sold it in 1966. In 1979, Mark accepted a special Academy Award for Technical Achievement
Academy Award for Technical Achievement
The Technical Achievement Award is a kind of Scientific and Technical Award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to those whose particular technical accomplishments have contributed to the progress of the motion picture industry and who are given a certificate, which describes...
" For the progressive development of the Moviola from the 1924 invention of his father, Iwan Serrurier, to the present Series 20 sophisticated film editing equipment". He only accepted after insisting that his late father's name would also appear on the statue. The Oscar sat on Mark's kitchen table until his death from Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
on Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
1988.
Mark Serrurier has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
for his contributions in Motion Pictures.