The Connector Industry Remembers Dr. Bob Mroczkowski

The electronics world says goodbye to one of its great innovators and educators. Dr. Bob’s enduring legacy includes the deep and influential base of knowledge he shared with subsequent generations of engineers.

The connector industry is mourning the news that Dr. Bob Mroczkowski has died. Bob passed away on August 20, 2019, at age 80. Longtime readers of Connector Supplier knew him simply as “Dr. Bob” — his expertise and influence is so significant that no last name is needed.

Dr. Bob’s career in the electronics industry began with bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in metallurgy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He worked for RCA in New Jersey for several years, then joined the research division at connector manufacturer AMP Incorporated (now TE Connectivity) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he specialized in connector design and performance. He was well known as a mentor and shared his expertise with a wide network of professionals within the company and beyond. Dr. Bob leaves behind a wife, children, grandchildren, and many friends across the electronics industry.

“Bob was an incredible source of knowledge and goodwill among AMP Inc. customers and fellow employees. He applied his metalogical background with experience working with James Whitley, considered by many the father of contact physics. He had the unique ability to explain complex interactions at separable electrical interconnects in terms that anyone could understand. His positive attitude, sense of humor, and open personality combined with deep technical expertise made him both a valuable resource and friend to all he met,” said Connector Supplier contributor Robert Hult, who worked with Dr. Bob at AMP. “I will miss his many stories of events he encountered while traveling, including being chased by a goat while out one evening taking pictures.”

Although he retired from AMP in 1998, Dr. Bob never truly retired. He founded the connector consulting practice of connNtext associates, conducted training seminars, provided expert witness testimony, and continued to share his wealth of connector knowledge in many articles and white papers. In 2025, Würth Electronik published the fourth edition of the foundational interconnect text Trilogy of Connectors: Basic Principles and Connector Design Explanations, co-authored by Bob Mroczkowski, Romain Jugy, Alexander Gerfer, and Thomas Robok.

Connector Supplier is grateful for Bob’s many contributions to our publication. Please take the time to explore his articles; they offer an unparalleled wealth of information. He loved to share his knowledge and his large collection of technical articles on connector technologies can be accessed in our archives. His subjects include plating materials, connector testing, connector wear, design challenges, power contacts, and many other topics. He often collaborated with Max Peel, another industry legend whose work we are proud to share. We like to imagine the two together once again, enjoying cigars and a fine bottle of scotch.