OldSynths

Apologies for the massive cross-post, but want to make sure all John's 
fans get the news.

Following is the official family press release.


In Memoriam: John Stayton Simonton, Jr.
June 24, 1943 – Nov. 25, 2005


Oklahoma City – Founder and president of PAiA Electronics, Inc. (OKC) 
John Stayton Simonton, Jr. died at his home in Arcadia, Okla. on 
Friday, Nov. 25 after a yearlong battle with esophageal cancer. He was 
62 years old.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii to John and Eva Simonton, John Simonton grew 
up in New Orleans, La. graduating from the Sam Barth School for Boys 
and the Metairie Park Country Day School. In 1965 while finishing his 
engineering and psychology degree at Louisiana Tech University in 
Ruston, La. he met and married Linda Brumfield Simonton.

After completing his degree in 1967, John moved to Oklahoma to work for 
the first computerized jet engine test facility at Tinker A.F.B.  

In 1968, John founded PAiA Electronics, Inc. in Oklahoma City, a 
company dedicated to providing synthesizer kits to the do-it-yourself 
electronic musician. John Simonton has designed hundreds of products 
including the Gnome MicroSynthesizer, the SMPL System SMPTE / MIDI / 
Machine synchronizer and the PAiA Programmable Drum Set, which is 
credited with being the first commercially available user-programmable 
percussion box.

Many music artists received their first exposure to synthesis with 
PAiA’s modular systems. Many engineers, scientists and technicians had 
early exposure to their professions through his trade journal articles. 
His work with starved tube circuitry produced the TubeHead series of 
preamplifiers and his most recent project was PAiA's Theremax theremin.

A widely read author and contributor in the electronic popular press, 
John was also the publisher of Polyphony magazine, which was first 
published in 1975 and later renamed Electronic Musician.  Electronic 
Musician eventually sold to Mix Publications of Berkeley in 1985. John 
was also the founding partner in High Technology, Inc. the first 
computer store in Oklahoma in 1976, which became the first wholesale 
distributor for Apple Computer, Inc. in 1977.

Deeply dedicated to doing what was right, John was a mentor and 
inspiration to many do-it-yourselfers encouraging them to pursue 
avocations and careers in engineering and music.

He is survived by wife Linda Simonton, daughter D. Stayton (Staci) 
Craig, son John S. Simonton III (Trey), granddaughters Nikki Craig and 
Callie Simonton, and grandson Christopher Kai Simonton.

A memorial service to celebrate John’s life will be held at 6 p.m., 
Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Omniplex Science Museum in Oklahoma City. In 
lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the John S. Simonton Memorial 
Fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, PO Box 1146, Oklahoma 
City 73101.