Leach International - Val Leach, Founder

Val Leach, Founder
1895-1941

When "Val" Leach conceived his idea for a break-in relay, little could he realize thatthe company that now bears his name would become the acknowledged leader in aerospaceswitching components.

It was in San Francisco shortly after World War I when Leach, who had been a U.S. Navytelegrapher, conceived the idea of the break-in relay. Like most radio operators, hehad become annoyed at the erratic nature of contemporary radio equipment.

A telegrapher sending a message from ship to shore, for example, had no way of knowingwhether his message arrived legibly or garbled until the receiver took his turn sendingat the end of the transmission period. To solve the problem, he devised a relay that,for the first time, enabled a receiver to "break-in" on the sender and say something likethe code equivalent of "your message is garbled, start over again."

A few months after his discharge from the Navy, Leach perfected his relay design. Theyear was 1919 - days of high enthusiasm but low finances for Val. He would go aboardships and sell his wondrous gadgets to other operators for food money. For several years,Leach operated his business on a part time basis in his apartment house on the east sideof San Francisco while occupying a position as a maritime inspector.

Among the first companies to recognize the greatness of his invention was the RadioCorporation of America. When sales volume increased, Leach opened a shop on Mission Streetand began devoting his full time to the relay business. In 1929, he moved to Los Angeleswhere manufacturers like Douglas Aircraft found that Leach relays not only worked but stood up to the rugged requirements of aircraft where life could depend on an electrical contactthat functioned. A reputation for quality and reliability was born that Leach neverrelinquished.

In October 1941, less than two months after incorporating as Leach Relay Company, Inc.,Val Leach was killed in a tragic automobile accident, ending one of the nation's mostpromising careers in electronics. Without benefit of an engineering degree or even aformal high school education, Val Leach advanced two-way radio communications and relaytechnology - a truly remarkable individual and pioneer for the relay industry.