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George Dudnikov, the PCB industry veteran and icon, passed away last week at the age of 66. Born in The Bronx, he was a New Yorker to his core. I met George and his lovely wife, Susan Hughes, when we all worked at Hadco. At that time, they had already been at Hadco for years and were much respected and well-known throughout the PCB industry.
A smart guy with a mechanical engineering degree from Columbia, George knew his stuff. He didn’t mess around, and he got things done. Indeed, a big personality and a genuinely good guy, he had a powerful presence. After spending decades at the Hadco facility in Derry, New York, he eventually made his way out to sunny California and to the Santa Clara facility of Hadco/Sanmina-SCI and remained in the Bay Area thereafter.
George was one of the good ones. It was great to work with him, to know him, and as one colleague shares below, even to compete against him. At the end of the day, this industry is better for having George in it and he will be sorely missed. Our sincerest condolences go out to Susan and their family. For more information, click here.
Here are just a few of the tributes shared on LinkedIn.
I knew George for more than 30 years—since his early days at HADCO before Sanmina bought them. He was a truly unique force in our industry pushing the technology limits. Yet, he often seemed prouder of Susan's accomplishments than his own. The last time George and I met was for a relaxing breakfast about 14 months ago at the Spring Hill Suites in Devens, Massachusetts prior to PCB East 2023. Yes, I said RELAXING BREAKFAST—during which we reminisced about the "pioneering days" of the industry and the dash to China—when everyone (spelled EVERYONE) was rushing to have their boards made there. In those days all were seeking he lowest price without any thought of (domestic) sustainability.
You have left us far too early!—Gene Weiner, Weiner Associates
RIP George… I competed against him, reported to him for 10 years. His recommendation got me to China. I became his largest customer, competed with him later, and enjoyed talking with him when we both returned. He’ll go down as one of our industry veterans and characters.—Dana Korf, Nano Dimension
I met George in 1983 at Photocircuits. Kindhearted guy full of life and enthusiasm. It was impossible not to like him—certainly a larger-than-life character.—Steve Pittari, GreenSource Fabrication
