Stanley Charren ’45

Stanley Charren ’45, of Northampton, Mass.; Dec. 31, of COVID. He was a mechanical engineer, entrepreneur, inventor, and wind energy pioneer. While a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, he was assigned as an engineer by Fairchild Corp. to a project to build an expandable jet engine for wartime use. In 1958, he cofounded Bytrex Corporation, which merged with Kulite. Kulite-Bytrex became the first company in the world to make a commercially marketed semiconductor strain gauge with an output almost 100 times greater than conventional gauges. Following that experience, he cofounded Pandel-Bradford in Lowell, Mass., which manufactured synthetic leathers and suedes for shoe uppers and an original vinyl-backed carpet tile for use in commercial offices. Facing back issues, he founded SwimEx, a company that produced personal sized spa pools. However, he was best known for his role in commercializing wind power. During the 1970s energy crisis, he partnered with Russell Wolfe and started U.S. Windpower, which became the first major U.S. wind turbine manufacturer and built the world’s first wind farm in 1978 in Crotched Mountain, N.H. After relocating to northern California and changing the name to Kenetech in 1988, the company emerged as the largest wind energy firm in the world. He retired from Kenetech in 1995 before its bankruptcy in 1996. UMass Amherst’s library houses the Charren papers, a collection of materials on the founding and operations of U.S. Windpower and Kenetech. He enjoyed spending time with his daughters, swimming, and playing tennis and chess. He is survived by two daughters and their spouses; five grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; a sister; and four nieces and a nephew.