produce and sell a remote control. In 1950 Zenith came up with a remote control called the "Lazy Bones" which was connected with wires to the TV set. The next development was the "Flashmatic" (1955), designed by Eugene Polley, a wireless remote control that used a light beam to signal the TV (with a photosensitive pickup device) to change stations. One problem was that during the daytime the sensitivity degraded. In 1956 Zenith began producing a remote control named after McDonald's nickname "The Commander" and calling it the "Space Command". This new technology worked by sending an ultrasonic tone to the TV set, where it was picked up with a miniature microphone sensitive to only that tone. At the cost of $259.95, it was truly a luxury item. Public notices of family life McDonald married the former Inez Riddle but they divorced in 1947. In 1962, four years after the commander's death, his former wife Inez Riddle McDonald Neale sought to have the divorce set aside. There was a long and ugly trial played out in the local newspapers. The children sided with the mother but she was finally denied her request. The McDonald estate was estimated to be worth $30 million, but there were also lower estimates. Details of the decision were (McDonald v Neale) filed in 1962. It was ruled against claims his former wife petitioned for. The Illinois court ruling can be seen at this link McDonald Jr vs Neale. There were two children born to the marriage: daughter Jean Marianne and son Eugene McDonald III. The son was known as "Stormy" died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on February 6, 1965. His body was brought back to Chicago from Arizona, where a funeral service was conducted. Prior to his death he was briefly married to Virginia Baker. For details transcribed from the Arizona Daily Star newspaper go to the link The Stormy McDonald Mystery. Another article written a year later (February 13, 1966) from the Reading Eagle newspaper with photos of Eugene McDonald III and his mother Inez Riddle McDonald Neale can be seen at this link The Boy Who Had Everything. References External links Rethford, Wayne. Scots, Great and Small 1886 births 1958 deaths Radio pioneers United States Navy officers Businesspeople from Syracuse, New York History of radio Radio electronics 20th-century American businesspeople