Calvin Johnson

JOHNSON, Ewell Calvin, 91, passed away April 22, 2017. He was born in Tampa, Florida, son of the late Alice and Calvin Johnson. He attended Gorrie, Wilson, and Plant High Schools in Tampa, followed by a Bachelor's degree in electrical engi­neering from Georgia Tech and a Doctor of Science from M.I.T.(1951). He then joined the Bendix Corporation in Detroit and worked as a research engineer in the field of computers and con­trol sys­tems, with several patents and tech­nical publi­cations to his credit. In 1967 he was appointed director of the Bendix Research Laboratories and later became Bendix corporate vice president for research and engi­neering. Subsequently, he served as vice president for research and development with Gould Inc. in Chicago. Awards in­cluded Out­standing Young Engineer by the Engineering Soci­e­ty of Detroit, Outstanding Young Alum­nus by Georgia Tech, and Outstanding Michigan Inventor by the Mich­igan Patent Law Association. After moving back to Tampa in 1978, he served as pre­si­dent of the former Vincent Pro­cesses Inc. and later worked with Dr. and Mrs. Ashley Vincent in numerous busi­ness and technical activ­ities. In 1989 he joined UBC Inc. in microwave antennas and controls, and served several years as vice president for engineering. He for­mally retired in 2004, but continued working part-time until 2013. He was a former member of the Tampa Rotary Club, the Palma Ceia Golf Club, and the Krewe of Gasparilla. He was a Life Fellow of the Insti­tute of Elect­rical and Elect­ronics Engi­neers and in 2004 was named to the Georgia Tech Engineering Hall of Fame. He is survived by his daughter Cindy Schwefel of Indianapolis, her hus­band Jim, and grandsons Alex and Joshua. He was preceded in death by his brother Doyle. Visitation will be held Wednesday, April 26, 2017 from 5pm to 7pm at Blount and Curry Macdill Chapel, 605 S. MacDill Ave, Tampa FL 33609. A memorial service will be held Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 3pm at Blount and Curry MacDill Chapel. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Northeast Presbyterian Church in St. Petersburg or a charity of your choice.