From Inquisitive to Innovation: Alum Looks Back on a Lifetime of Engineering

From a childhood spent tinkering to a career marked by innovation and using his resources to help others, John Reschovsky’s (BS electrical engineering '69) life carries all the hallmarks of a Drexel engineer.

The retired president and founder of Accumetrics, Inc., a global leader in rotor telemetry technology, tracks his interest in engineering to an early memory.

“When I was 8 or 10 years old, I was given a crystal radio, which uses only the power of the incoming radio signal to play sound in an earphone,” he said. “I’d stay up late at night listening to AM radio when I was supposed to be sleeping, and I thought it was so cool. By the time I was 13 or 14, I became a HAM radio operator, and that really solidified my interest in electrical engineering.”

Motivated by that interest, Reschovsky chose Drexel as his academic launchpad. He recalls being excited to live and work in the city, a change of pace from his rural life in Bucks County. Life in the city also offered him the opportunity to take advantage of Drexel’s renowned co-op program.

“While academic classes provided a solid foundation, it was the co-op program that was most transformational for me,” he reflected. "I learned a lot in the classroom, but things fell into place during my co-ops, and I began to understand how it all applied to engineering.”

Following his graduation from Drexel, John embarked on a corporate journey that included a stint at GE, where he managed a research group that supported departments within the division, developing sensors and other technologies for ongoing projects. As the years went on, GE became less interested in doing that kind of work in-house. Reschovsky pitched the idea of starting a small business that would hire some of the employees in his department and continue to service the company while taking on new clients. While the idea didn’t work at the time, it sparked an entrepreneurial streak in Reschovsky.

Eventually, he joined Dennison Manufacturing Company as Technical Director, managing teams of chemists, electrical engineers and mechanical engineers. It was rewarding work, but the absence of hands-on engineering left him longing for more. Fate intervened when Avery International merged with Dennsion, making his department redundant. At the same time, GE came calling again, seeking his expertise in developing a niche technology called rotor telemetry – a field that involves sensing electro-mechanical parameters on the rotors of rotating machines and wirelessly communicating the measurement data off the rotors.

Recognizing the chance to fulfill his unrealized dream as an entrepreneur, Reschovsky took a leap and founded Accumetrics, a venture that would flourish under his leadership.

"At the beginning, I put together a team of engineers and technicians to help GE with their rotor telemetry needs. But one customer doesn’t make a company,” he said. “Over time, we developed new markets and new customers. There's probably only a half dozen to a dozen companies worldwide that do rotor telemetry and we developed special techniques and product applications that allowed us to globally dominate the marketplace in some product niches. Our products, for example, that protect the rotors of large motors and generators from field winding ground faults were widely adopted by most manufacturers across the United States, Europe, and Asia.”

Today, in his well-deserved retirement, Reschovsky spends much of his time on a 40-acre property in the Adirondack Mountains that he and his wife Sandra have been visiting since their mid-twenties. They built an off-grid cabin there, and over the years have improved and expanded it. Just before he retired, Reschovsky leveraged his engineering acumen to design an off-the-grid power system complete with solar panels and batteries. But using renewable energy is about more than just convenience.

“We’re very active in the climate issue and encouraging people and businesses to get away from using fossil fuels,” Reschovsky said. “I’ve designed off-grid systems for remote New York State ranger stations, others for urban farms in our community that are associated with the local food pantry, and I’m part of a lobbying group that goes to Albany to advocate for climate action.”

The Reschovskys’ advocacy extends beyond renewable energy. Inspired by Sandra’s experience as a student in STEM, they have endowed a scholarship at Drexel University, with a particular focus on supporting women in engineering.

"Sandra started as a physics major at Drexel at a time that there weren’t many women in the field. She was discouraged and was unable to find relevant co-op jobs,” John recalled. “We realized that women weren't given the opportunities that men were given, and we want our scholarship to empower talented women to excel in engineering."

John also serves on the board of trustees of Girls, Inc. of the Greater Capital Region and on Drexel’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism (IDEAA) board, working diligently to improve diversity and retention rates for underrepresented students at Drexel.

From his successful career to his passion for philanthropy, Reschovsky looks back on his time at Drexel as a formative period in his life.

“Drexel gave me a career and a sense of ambition,” he said. “That led to the drive to be a leader and an entrepreneur and be more assertive in working for my employer, for my own company, and the benefit of others. I’m very grateful to Drexel for giving me the start of a very fulfilling life.”