3/25/2024 Credit the official obituary of Gerald “Jerry” Edward McGinnis, Sr.
Written by Credit the official obituary of Gerald “Jerry” Edward McGinnis, Sr.
Alumnus Gerald E. “Jerry” McGinnis (BSME 1958), bioengineering pioneer, inventor and entrepreneur, passed away peacefully in his sleep after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease on January 25, 2024, just a few months shy of his 90th birthday.
McGinnis grew up in Ottawa, Illinois, a small midwestern town along the Illinois river. He began his mechanical engineering studies at the Illinois Valley Community College. He then joined the Army, serving in the Korean War, to use the GI Bill to continue his education. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1958 from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where, according to the Wall Street Journal, he washed dishes at a sorority house in exchange for meals. He then entered a work-study program at Westinghouse that sponsored his master’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh.
McGinnis began his career at Westinghouse in Research and Development. In 1963 he became manager of the Bioengineering Department, which launched his career in medical product development. In 1969 he joined Allegheny General Hospital as head of the Surgical Research Department conducting research on artificial hearts, heart-assist devices, and the sensing and monitoring equipment for the measurement of blood and respiratory gases. In 1971 he founded his first company, Lanz Medical Products, in his home. His first two devices were a ceramic anesthesia mask and a tracheotomy tube developed using his family’s kitchen stove as a kiln.
His overarching goal was always the comfort of the patient. While developing his own company, he served in the Critical Care Department at the Presbyterian University Hospital in Pittsburgh, participating in programs to offer technological solutions to medical problems.
He founded Respironics in 1976 and developed the CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) and BiPap (bilevel positive airway pressure) machines used for supplemental oxygen, infant apnea monitors, asthma treatment and hospital ventilators. As an entrepreneur, McGinnis had learned first-hand the need to find the right problem to solve and the emerging awareness of sleep apnea disorder provided him with his ultimate arena.
Respironics became an industry leader in sleep apnea therapy and earned the honor of being named the 5th Best Private Company by Forbes Magazine just before it went public on the Nasdaq Exchange in 1987. In 2007 the company he founded was the target of a takeover by Royal Philips Electronics and ultimately became Phillips Respironics.
McGinnis was named one of the MechSE Department’s Distinguished Alumni in 1991 and was elected to The Grainger College of Engineering Hall of Fame in 2010.
McGinnis was beloved for his humility and work ethic. His philanthropy extended to the institutions that helped him along his journey, including the University of Illinois, the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie-Mellon University, and Allegheny General Hospital, among others. He served as the Chairman of Point Park University as part of an effort to develop programming for his Respironics employees. He was a plain spoken, humble, honest, kind friend, father and mentor. He loved being with his family and lived his life with gratitude for the gifts given to him.
Gerald E. “Jerry” McGinnis founded Respironics, the leading worldwide resource in the medical device industry, in 1976. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the company for 18 years until elected to Chairman of the Board and Advanced Technology Officer in November 1994.
Products developed by Respironics include devices for the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea, including CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) and bi-level (BiPAP) machines, oxygen concentrators for patients requiring supplemental oxygen, infant apnea monitors for infants at risk of sudden infant death syndrome, asthma treatment solutions, and hospital ventilators. In 2007, Respironics entered into a merger agreement with Royal Philips Electronics.
Prior to his involvement with Respironics, McGinnis worked at Westinghouse Electric Corporation for 11 years, where he participated in a variety of health-related projects. While serving as the manager of the Bioengineering Department, he also was involved in projects that included the artificial heart, heart-assist devices, and the sensing and monitoring equipment for the measurement of blood and respiratory gases.
Following his service at Westinghouse, McGinnis worked at Allegheny General Hospital from 1969 to 1971, where he was head of the Surgical Research Department. In 1971, McGinnis founded his first company, Lanz Medical Products. At the same time, McGinnis served in the Critical Care Department at the Presbyterian University Hospital in Pittsburgh, where his work focused on methods of increasing applications of technology in critical care.
A celebration of life took place on what would have been his 90th birthday, March 17, 2024.
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