Max Dieckmann

KIEL, GERMANY—Dr.-Ing. Rudolf Hell, whose technical innovations and inventions helped pave the way for the fax machine and key telecommunications technologies, celebrated his 100th birthday on December 19, 2001. Dr. Hell has touched more than the graphic arts industry; he has had a considerable influence on modern media tools. Among his many accomplishments: * Joined Prof. Max Dieckmann in presenting the first television transmission and reception station at the Trade Exposition in Munich, Germany, in 1927. * Received a doctoral degree for a dissertation describing a "directly indicating radio position-finding device," a precursor of today's autopilots. * Invented the Hell writing telegraph system in