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John L. 'Jack' Hill North St. Paul, MN Born 1909 QCWA # 4539 Chapter 8 |
Hill, John Lindsay (Jack) Age 99, of North St. Paul, died peacefully 8-30-2009, surrounded by family. Born John Demetrius Lindsay Hill 12-14-1909 in Montreal, Canada.
He migrated with his family to Minnesota in 1922 and graduated from the Rochester (NY) Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute (now RIT) in 1930. He worked at General Railway Signal, 3M and Northwest Airlines.
Jack served in World War II as the Master Sergeant in charge of radio maintenance for military airfields in the Panama Canal Zone and throughout Central America. On return he joined Engineering Research Associates where he led the team that engineered and built the first American stored program electronic computer, the ERA Atlas. In 1957 he became Director of Research and Development at Ramsey Engineering.
In 1977 he began over 20 years of volunteer work for SCORE and Radio Talking Book. Jack and his wife Catherine generously supported many charitable and educational organizations.
He loved ham radio, computing, theater and travel. Hard work, solving problems, learning and sharing knowledge, and fixing anything made him happy. Jack was a positive man of good will, honesty and humor.
Preceded in death by wife Catherine, parents John J. and Louisa Hill, brother Stanley and infant son Frederick. Survived by children Peter (Cherie), Bonita (George Dow), David (Shirley Swenson) and grandchildren James and Isaac Hill, and Laura, Sarah and Michael Dow.
A Celebration of Jack's Life will be held at 2 PM October 17, 2009, at Unity Church-Unitarian, 732 Holly Avenue, St. Paul. Please use the Portland and Grotto entrance. Memorials are preferred to the John L. and Catherine J. Hill Charitable Gift Fund
John's Advanced Class license expired on 2008-05-18.