Arlington Heights, Ill. – Ken Thomson, a long-time consumer electronics executive, died at his home, here, on September 16, according to a report in the Chicago Daily Herald.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Thomson was on the board of the Electronics Industries Association/Consumer Electronics Group, the forerunner of the Consumer Electronics Association. In his career in the CE industry Thomson was with GTE Sylvania and moved over to Magnavox when the company was purchased by Philips Consumer Electronics during the late 1970s.
As VP/general manager of Magnavox, which was part of Philips, Thomson headed the rollout of audio CD in the U.S. during the early 1980s.
Later during the decade he purchased accessories maker Discwasher from Beatrice Foods. Several years later the company was bought by Recoton Corp. where he assisted in managing that business for several years.
Survivors include his wife Mickey, two sons, a daughter and several grandchildren.
