Featured Interview With Doctor Thomas Karl Reiner
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Hungary 1931 in Budapest, Hungary. I fled to England and then was invited to the United States by President Eisenhower after the Soviet invasion and occupation of my home country. I graduated from the Technical University of Budapest with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1955 and went on to have a distinguished career both at home and abroad.
In 1959, I married Joyce and had two wonderful children, Paul and Rene.
Throughout my life I was a sought-after engineer. I worked at J.W. Fecker, working for NASA, The Assembly Tower for the Hubble Telescope and the Space Simulator.
In 1968 I became Chief Engineer for Fairchild Camera Space and Defence Vision and in 1974 he became preside of Renmark Pacific Corporation.
I patented a hydraulic jacking system that raised the Freemont Street Bride in Portland and built an air cargo handling and weighing system for the US Air Force and major airlines.
I got his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh.
In 1995, unfortunately, Joyce and I got a divorce. I got remarried in 2002 to Bonnie but she, unfortunately, passed away in 2013. I am now retired and live in Sherman Oaks, California.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’m not much of a bookworm but I love to learn. As a kid, I used to get engrossed in the encyclopedia which I received for my birthday. I’ve always been fascinated by how things work and would take apart anything that moved — bicycles, motors, radios, you name it!
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
As I said, I love anything that will teach me something, preferably non-fiction.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My book as an account of my life earlhy life. I escaped unspeakable horrors, growing up during World War 2, avoiding the Nazi Death Camps, before being thrown into hardship under communism rule.
I killed a Hungarian Nazi at the age of 13 when he stopped my father and on the street. If I hadn’t killed him first, he would certainly have shot both of us dead.
I fled my native Hungary to come to America, where I focused on giving back to the country that gave him the freedom to follow his dreams. As an engineer, I filed many patents, working for the United States Defence and for NASA, just to name a few.
I’ve had many highs and many lows, but throughout his life, one thing stood out. I didn’t allow obstacles to deter me, no matter how big they seem.
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