Born in 1933, near Odessa, Ukraine, in the Soviet Union, as a child he survived the Second World War, losing his father to the fighting in 1943. Despite the hardships of life in the Soviet Union, he established himself as a successful scientist and engineer, at one point working in the Soviet space program, before moving into other fields.
In 1966 he met Irina, beginning a loving partnership that lasted till the end of his life.
In spite of severe risks, he led his family to emigrate to the United States in 1978, where he built a successful career, founding several companies to develop new technologies, including the Kalina Cycle, a technology that greatly improves the efficiency of power generation. He was one of the leading figures in the science of thermodynamics, with many scientific publications and patents to his name.
He is survived by his wife, Irina Kalina, his son, Mark Kalina and wife Alina, and his grandchildren, Sarah and Isaac.
To all of us who knew him, he was a giant presence in our lives, and a genuine hero.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18