Former NPR engineer Wayne Hetrich died recently.

Hetrich spent years at NPR designing and building systems, perhaps most notably the network’s first satellite transmission system, colleagues said. Several noncom engineers told RW they referred to Hetrich as “Mr. Wizard”

Before NPR, Hetrich worked at several DC-area stations including WOL(AM) and WPGC(AM/FM). He was a patent holder and member of AES.

According to an obituary in The Washington Post, Hetrich died on Feb. 28; his funeral was in Waldorf, Md. His wife Gladys is deceased. He is survived by a sister, a son, two grand children, six great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.