Joel S. Spira, chairman, director of research and founder of Lutron Electronics Company, Coopersburg, Pa., passed away on April 8, 2015 in his home at the age of 88.
Spira began his company in a small apartment in New York City with the idea of commercialization of the dimmer for household use. The Capri dimmer was introduced in the early 1960s with ads suggesting that it could enhance the ambiance of a room by “dialing romance.”