George C. Szego, 88; Solar Energy Leader, 'Mr. Space Power'

George Szego helped get solar collectors installed on the White House. (Family Photo)

Before the Nuremberg trials, Dr. Szego interrogated a number of captured Nazis at Oberursel, including Hermann Goering. The Luftwaffe commander, Dr. Szego recalled, was "a mere shadow of his former 320-pound self."

Returning to civilian life, he received a bachelor's degree in 1947 from the University of Denver. He received a master's degree in 1950 and a doctorate in 1956, both in chemical engineering from the University of Washington. He worked for General Electric, TRW Space Technology Laboratories and the Institute for Defense Analyses before founding ITC/Solar.

From 1972 to 1981, Dr. Szego and his first wife -- along with a number of foster children -- lived at Oakwood, an 18th-century estate in Fauquier County once owned by Abraham Lincoln's private physician and where both Lincoln and Edgar Allan Poe slept. Dr. Szego raised purebred horses and cattle on the 435-acre property and built a solar-heated swimming pool with 10 collectors.

Mr. Szego lived in Annapolis from 1982 to 2006, when he moved to Delaware.

ITC/Solar began experiencing financial difficulties in 1978 and went out of business in 1988. Dr. Szego continued to write, teach and lecture on the peril of global warming, the importance of energy conservation and the promise of solar power. He also taught chemical engineering at Howard University.

His marriage to Marion "Meg" Gowell Szego ended in divorce. A daughter from that marriage, Alexandra Windpainter, died in 2006.

Survivors include his wife of 18 years, Diane Jones Szego of Dover; a sister; a granddaughter; and a great-granddaughter.