Author(s): Ann Roberts Brice [1]

Alfred E. Mann, who has spent much of his time and money combining machines with humans, is sounding like he's a bionic man himself these days. Although he's 81, he jokes that he has dyslexia--which puts his age at 18--and says he plans on living another 40 or 50 years.[illus. 1]

If he did, it's likely he'd see patients using retina implants to restore their vision, bionic electro-stimulators to reclaim limb function and biotherapeutic vaccines to prevent cancer. All of those developments are being tested at companies founded by Mann.

But in dispersing Mann's considerable wealth into nonprofit institutions associated with universities, the AMFBE in Santa Clarita, California, has come under fire for allegedly tying thick strings to its endowments. For a man who believes "creating something that makes a real difference in people's lives eclipses anything you can do," and who points out that "there's more to life than materiality," the criticism must have left a bitter taste.

Mann, worth $2.2 billion in 2006 according to <pres:italics>Forbes </pres:italics> ' list of richest Americans, is originally from Portland, Oregon. He moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1946 to attend the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) after serving as a B-29 navigator in World War II. He earned BA and MS degrees in physics at UCLA, then took a job in the aerospace industry that involved pioneering work in electro-optical physics.

Five years later, the army approached him to consult on an anti-tank missile program guidance system. The army offered a contract that led...