Fred left Itek after a few years to work for other engineering firms in New England, but in 1972 relocated with his family to suburban St. Paul, MN where he went to work as an optical engineer for the 3M Company. One of his most significant accomplishments at 3M was that he and a colleague, Les Farago, developed what is thought to have been the world’s first copier capable of enlarging documents. He also pioneered other significant developments in the field of optics; specifically, he had a hand in the creation of modern–day color television zoom lenses. He was well-recognized as a leader in his field. In 1980, he was named a Doctor of Science by the Institute of Physics (IOP) and in July 1981 was named a Fellow in the IOP. In the early 1980s, 3M promoted him to Director International Engineering. In that capacity he shared his knowledge and innovations around the globe, especially in China, Taiwan and Japan. In 1985 Fred and his family left MN and moved to Southern California, where Fred had accepted a position as a Chief Scientist for the Hughes Aerospace Corporation. At that time he was involved in the Regan-era Strategic Defense Initiative, which was often called the “Star Wars” program. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Defense_Initiative He later worked for smaller technology and engineering firms in Southern CA and Arizona where he continued to help pioneer new technologies, including a laser imaging system that revolutionized the process of creating printing plates for the newspaper industry.