Aelred “Al” J. Kurtenbach 

Aelred “Al” J. Kurtenbach received a doctorate in electrical engineering in 1968. While at Purdue, Kurtenbach decided to pursue entrepreneurship. The year he obtained his PhD, he co-founded and became chairman of Daktronics. Specializing in manufacturing electronic scoreboards, Daktronics quickly emerged as a global leader in digital scoreboard technology. Today, its digital displays are in stadiums, arenas, and corporate settings worldwide. Kurtenbach also has taught electrical engineering at Purdue and South Dakota State University. Purdue honored him with an Outstanding Electrical Engineer Award 2001 and a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award in 2006.