> By Todd Rigney

> Scantron was the only way to take standardized tests when I was a kid.

> Armed with a number two pencil and a head full of potential, students

> would hunker down over these sheets and attempt to “fill in the bubble

> completely”, as per our teacher’s instructions. If you’re living with

> OCD, making sure that these little circles are completely and evenly

> darkened is akin to absolute madness. Trust me.

> Sadly, the inventor of this testing format, Michael Sokolski, died on

> June 13 from congestive heart failure. He was 85 years-old.

> Sokolski was born in Poland on September 25th, 1926. He lost his

> mother during a German attack on his homeland during World War II, an

> event which prompted him to serve in the Polish Forces under the

> British Eighth Army Command. Between the years 1945 and 1947, Sokolski

> served in Italy, fighting in the battle of Monte Cassino as a tank

> driver. During this exchange, Sokolski was wounded, earning him the

> Italy Star and War Medal for his service.

> Following his graduation from the University of Minnesota with a

> Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, the decorated war hero soon found

> work at IBM Rochester. In 1966, Sokolski founded Datronics, which he

> eventually sold to the 3M Corporation. Although he’d already made

> considerable progress in his career, the world wouldn’t know the man’s

> name until he formed Scan-Tron, which completely reinvented the way

> everyone took tests.

> If all of this wasn’t enough to keep him busy, this tireless

> individual was a Technical Reserve for the Santa Ana Police Department

> in 1979, as well as a member of Advisory Board for the Orange County

> Sheriff Department. Following his retirement, Sokolski developed a

> passion for fishing, catching several 50-pound salmon during his many

> trips to the sea with his wife and family.

> Ray Arthur