VOIGT, III Herbert Frederick – of Milton, MA, (born 27 October 1952) died suddenly on 25 January 2018.
He is survived by his loving wife of 42 years Ronit, and children Justin and his wife Jennifer, granddaughters Madeline and Charlotte of Milton, MA, and daughter Emily of Milton, MA.
He leaves behind his mother Simona and eight siblings, Rita Ann Voigt, Karen Voigt, Denice Mastrangelo, Lorraine Voigt-Waldron, Tamara Replogle, Michael Voigt, Dr. Erich Voigt, and Dr. Kimberly Voigt-Blum.
He had a passion for people—with friends around the world—and he always strived to make a difference. His love of nature and his sense of curiosity led him to erect a bat house, track pollutants in his kitchen, grow white asparagus, and every spring, lead expeditions to vernal pools to witness the salamanders emerging from hibernation. He even had plans to become a beekeeper.
A Fulbright Scholar who served in Peru in 2015, he was a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and an Associate Research Professor of Otolaryngology at Boston University. Voigt obtained a BE (EE, 1974) from the City College of New York (CCNY) and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering (1980) from the Johns Hopkins University, followed by an extremely distinguished career in the field of biomedical engineering. In 2016, Voigt received the Alpha Eta Mu Beta’s Outstanding Dedication and Service Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Biomedical Engineering Honor Society. He was a past president of the International Union for Physical & Engineering Sciences in Medicine (IUPESM, 2012-2015), and also a past president of the International Federation for Medical & Biological Engineering (IFMBE 2009-2012), of the American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering (AIMBE, 2006-2007), of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES, 1999) & of Alpha Eta Mu Beta (2002-2008). A recipient of a CCNY Alumni Career Achievement Award (1994), Voigt was also elected to the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars (2003). He received the BMES’s President’s Award (2002) & its Distinguished Service Award (2004). Voigt was a Founding Fellow of BMES (2004) & an AIMBE Fellow (1998). IEEE selected Voigt as a Distinguished Lecturer (2012-2013) & he was also an honorary member of the Swedish Society of Medical Engineering & Physics (2012). Voigt’s research interests included auditory neurophysiology, specifically cochlear nucleus neural circuitry, heavy metal detection and global Health and Development. He was also deeply involved in biomedical engineering issues and education throughout the world, specifically in Nigeria, Peru, Sweden and Malaysia. He was also active in his local community, serving as an elected Town Meeting member and an elected Milton Public Library Trustee (2012-present). He was also president of the Milton Foundation for Education, twice president of the Milton Library Foundation and was currently serving as president of the Bach, Beethoven and Brahms Society Orchestra of Boston.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to the following:
- The Bach, Beethoven and Brahms Society, PO Box 470528, Brookline, MA 02447
- Congregation Beth Shalom of the Blue Hills, 18 Shoolman Way, Milton, MA 02186
A celebration of his life will be held on January 30, 2018, 11 a.m., at Lombardo’s, 6 Billings St., Randolph, MA 02368, followed by a luncheon reception. Shiva will be held at the family home on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 7 p.m to 9 p.m.