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FAMILY PLACED OBITUARY

Dr. John C. Burgess
Dr. John C. BurgessOctober 29,1923-May 14, 2017 Dr. John C. Burgess, 93, of Lanikai, Hawaii, passed away in Honolulu, Hawaii after being in failing health for several years. John C. Burgess was born in Providence RI to Helen and Kenney Burgess. He attended Brown University for undergraduate studies, graduating in 1944 with a BS in engineering. He enlisted in the submarine service and was appointed a Lieutenant to serve as a communications officer on the USS Flounder (SS-251), a diesel electric boat of the Gato class during its last three war patrols mostly off of Indochina until the end of the war. He was in Manila just after it was liberated from the Japanese. He was an instructor, teaching, and research assistant at Stanford University, Brown University, and the University of Puerto Rico from 1946-1953. He was married to Frances on June 21, 1953 in San Mateo, CA. From 1953 to 1961, he was a lecturer at Stanford and the National University of Cordoba in Argentina. He was awarded a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford in 1955. Following graduation he worked at SRI International and United Technologies in the San Francisco Bay area. In 1966 he and his family moved to Hawaii, where he was a full professor and Chairman of the Mechanical Engineering department at University of Hawaii, Manoa Campus. He later chose to relinquish the chairmanship to concentrate on teaching, becoming a tenured professor and retiring in 1995. During his tenure at UH, he was President of the College Faculty Senate from 1969-1971. He was an active member of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), joining in 1957 and elevated to Fellow in 1978. He chaired the first three joint meetings of the ASA and the Acoustical Society of Japan (ASJ) in 1978, 1988 and 1996, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Citation in 1996 from the ASA, as well as Medal of Special Merit from the ASJ, also in 1996. He also enjoyed flying gliders in California, backpacking in Hawaii and the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, flower and nature photography, and experimenting with growing bananas in the back yard. John C. Burgess is survived by his wife, Frances, his children Elizabeth A. Mazik, John K. Burgess, William C. Burgess, and two grandchildren. There will be a private family ceremony at the family burial plot near Boston, MA. In lieu of flowers, a gift to the Nature Conservancy or the Sierra Club in his name would be welcome. Arrangements Provided By: Ultimate Cremation Services LLC

Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased

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