Charles Freed of Browning Lane, Lincoln, died of a brain tumor at Brookhaven in Lexington, on August 4, 2010, at the age of 84. Charles was born in Budapest, Hungary on March 21, 1926 and was raised in Miskole, Hungary. As a child, he loved building with his cherished erector set, and also took apart the family phonograph to find the little people inside. He received his Diploma from the Gymnasium (High School) in 1944. That same year, the Nazis entered Hungary and the family was sent to the Jewish Ghetto. Charles mother and relatives were deported to Aushchwitz where they were eventually gassed and cremated. Charles and other able-bodied men were sent into forced labor by the Nazis, but were soon captured by the Russian army advancing from the East. The Jewish prisoners begged to help fight the Nazis, but Russian policy did not allow it, and they were sent to the Communist Gulag as prisoners of war. Charles spent over three years, freezing and starving in hard forced labor in Russian prison camps. Most died, but Charles managed to survive. He was released by the Russians in 1947 and returned to Hungary. Having had enough of Fascism and Communism. Charles risked his life and escaped illegally to Vienna. He contacted his Uncle, a medical doctor in NYC who was able to get Charles admitted to the USA as a student. Charles arrived on Ellis Island on August 25, 1949, at age 23. In America, Charles learned English, and then earned Engineering degrees at NYU and MIT. At MIT he worked from 1952-1958 at the research Laboratory of Electronics on electron beam sources with his mentor, Professor Louis Smullin. From 1958-1962 he worked at Raytheon as a group leader doing research on microwave devices. In 1962 he joined the staff of MiITs Lincoln Laboratory at Hanscom Field where he did Laser Research. He became a Senior Scientist there, and in 1979 was named a Fellow of the IEEE society for the pioneering development of ultrastable lasers. Charles lasers are still used today, for example, to observe distant stars. Two lasers he designed and built are now in MITs Museums Science and Technology collection. Charles published over 60 research articles and presented his work at conferences around the world. In 1999 he was named a fellow of the National Military Sensors Symposia for his contributions to laser radar and imaging of space objects. When asked to describe his professional strengths, he replied, A knack for engineering that is very practical, and always having on-hand plenty of parts. As late as 2009 he was consulting on applying lasers to the problem of global warming. Charles loved America very dearly, especially Lincoln where he lived since 1961 with his family. He always defended his adopted country against any criticism, saying, You cant imagine what it was like in Europe and Russia! Charles loved classical music skating, skiing, and swimming at Valley Pond and Hanscom Pool. Charles is survived by his wife, Florence W. Freed, his daughter Josie A. Freed, his daughter Dr. Lisa E. Freed, his son-in-law Dr. Ted D. Sussman, and his granddaughters. Sara Freed Sussman and Rachel Freed Sussman. Funeral arrangements were made by Dee Funeral Home of Concord, and Charles ashes will be buried privately in Lincoln Cemetery. Contributions in Charles memory may be made to the Lincoln Library which he loved.