Al received his B.S.E.E. (emphasizing Physics) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University.

In 1956, Al joined International Business Machines Corporation in the Federal Systems Division at Owego, New York. While working for Federal Systems, he was credited with the invention of many new ferrite and thin-film technologies. He also designed memory devices during that time including the memory systems for the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory and the Gemini space program.

Al transferred to IBM's Research Triangle Park, North Carolina site in 1973 where he pursued research in the field of advanced magnetic (hard disk) data storage technology. He generated some of the basic technology for semiconductor and magnetoresistive read/write heads and invented IBM's basic read/write head that can produce data densities of 100,000,000 bits per square inch.

During his tenure at IBM, he was responsible for 72 U.S. Patents and authored numerous papers and other publications.

Al had a broad variety of outside interests, including his family and the restoration of classic Ford Thunderbird's, including the two that were sold to pay for the first Thunderbird Technologies, Inc. patent application.

Al was the company's Chief Scientist from the founding of Thunderbird in 1989. He was also Chairman of the Board at the time of his passing in 1994.