Andrew (Andy) Werth, a satellite industry pioneer admired as much for mentoring young people and racing bicycles as for his executive leadership, technological breakthroughs and facility with foreign languages, died January 28 following a long bout with a debilitating neurological disorder. He was 74 and lived in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Werth began doing satellite technology research in 1959, shortly after the launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik opened a new era of space exploration. He was responsible for the tracking, telemetry and command systems of the world’s first commercial satellite, Early Bird, launched in 1965. He co-founded a digital satellite communications company that eventually became Hughes Network Systems. Mr. Werth later rose to become president of the company’s international division helping Hughes to become the world’s leading provider of commercial satellite networks.
“Andy was one of the founders of our Company and a key figure in the satellite industry,” said Pradman Kaul, Chairman & CEO of Germantown-based Hughes Network Systems. “I was always impressed by his boundless energy and enthusiasm for every task that he took on. But more importantly, Andy was a terrific person and loved by everyone that he met. I knew Andy for over 40 years and have many fond memories of our friendship.”
Mr. Werth was also a renowned cyclist, finishing one place short of qualifying for the U.S. cycling team in the 1952 Olympics, though he won numerous other events in his youth, including the New York State Junior Championship and the Tour of Somerville. A victory in a nine-day cycling event in Canada earned him enough prize money to pay for his first semester of college. He resumed cycling later in life, and won the Masters National Track Championship in 2000, 2003 and 2004. Until slowed by illness, he was an active member of DC Velo, a Washington-based cycling club.
Throughout the satellite industry, Mr. Werth developed a devoted following among people whom he mentored early in their careers at Hughes and other companies. In 2006, he was honored with the first Mentor Award by the Society of Satellite Professionals International.
“Andy introduced me to the business and helped me when I needed all the help I could get,” recalled David Hershberg, an early industry colleague who is now chairman and CEO of Globecomm Systems Inc. “ I remember thinking if all the people I would be working with were as great as this guy, then I had chosen the right profession. He taught me what professionalism and hard work meant.”
Mr. Werth was born in Saarbrucken, Germany on March 2, 1934, to a German father and a French mother. His family fled the Nazis, and by the time he was 10 years old, young Andrew had lived in four countries, learning a new language with each move. His fluency in many languages and ease with international clients helped him establish Hughes’ presence in 17 countries and build international sales to $1.4 billion by the time he retired in 2000.
Mr. Werth, a graduate of Columbia University and an Air Force veteran, began his career at ITT Laboratories in New Jersey. Following the launch of Sputnik, he was assigned to do research in digital satellite communications in the late 1950s.
He left ITT for fledgling satellite operator COMSAT Corp. in 1964, and his first job was working on the Early Bird project team with the manufacturer, Hughes Aircraft Company. He soon transferred to COMSAT Laboratories, where he developed a series of high performance satellite modems and was awarded a number of patents in satellite communications applications. His work in the digital satellite communications was cited in 1982 when he was named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the profession’s highest award.
In 1972, Mr. Werth and a group of colleagues left COMSAT to form Digital Communications Corp. (DCC), a company that specialized in building sophisticated digital communications systems utilizing both terrestrial and satellite technology. The company prospered and was acquired in 1978 by Microwave Associates and became MA/COM Telecommunications, which was acquired by Hughes Electronics in October 1987, becoming Hughes Network Systems (HNS). Mr. Werth was initially general manager of the satellite communications division. He later led international marketing and sales for a new satellite technology, very small aperture terminals (VSAT), that eventually became the backbone of the private satellite network industry, connecting millions of retail establishments, hotels, gas stations, and other users. His role expanded to include responsibility for all of the company’s international operations.
During his tenure as president of HNS International, Mr. Werth oversaw not only manufacturing and engineering facilities operated by the company in England, but the sales of communications networks throughout Europe and in Thailand, South Africa, China, and Brazil, among other countries. One notable achievement was helping Hughes win a major contract with the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, based in Vienna, Austria, to provide communications to remote sites which monitor activity by the world’s nuclear powers.
Andy’s pioneering work at Comsat and Hughes led to numerous countries acquiring access to cost-effective communications to the outside world at a time when limited telephone circuits were all a developing country could count on. Subsequent innovations in satellite technologies led to the introduction of VSATs, with the earliest international users leading the way to their use in every corner of the globe. Andy was instrumental in securing many international contracts including many of the European Post and Telecommunications entities such as German Bundespost, France Telecom, British Telecom and Italy’s Telespazio, as well as farther afield with contracts in Latin America, Asia, Africa and Australia.
“I never met a customer, partner, or foreign official who did not have the greatest respect for Andy,” said former Hughes colleague Frank Klisch. “They were not shy about advertising their fondness for Andy and his straightforward, honest approach to solving problems and creating lasting relationships.”
Upon retiring from Hughes in 2000, Mr. Werth served as chairman of the Global VSAT Forum, a non-profit industry group devoted to delivering advanced satellite systems and services to enterprises, government agencies, and consumers worldwide. He was also a member of the Cosmos Club in Washington, and a partner in the Washington Advisory Group consulting firm.
Mr. Werth is survived by his wife of 55 years, Eileen, whom he met at age 16 at the New York State Cycling Championships, and three children, Greg Werth, Jeff Werth and Karen Werth, all residing in the Washington, D.C. area.
