George Benjamin Westrom |
| Posted 2018-03-27 by Judy Wight Branson |
| The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Sunday, March 25, 2018, page 11a George Benjamin Westrom passed away on Feb. 23, 2018, in the care of Maggie’s Hospice at Marley House in Prescott, Arizona. Born to Gina and Bernhard Westrom on Nov. 4, 1922. in Elbow Lake, Minnesota, George was raised in a Norwegian farming family. He trained as a glider pilot and then served as a sharpshooter with the Army’s 100th Division, which held the Southern Front in the Vosges Mountains during the Battle of the Bulge. Attending college as a veteran under the GI bill, George obtained degrees in Engineering and Physics from the University of Tennessee. From early in his career he was a prominent leader in the aerospace industry, heading the development of inertial guidance systems, satellite tracking systems, and development of advanced robotics systems for space travel. In 1987, he was a founder of the International Parallel & Distributed Processing Symposium, which has grown to be the IEEE Computer Society’s premier international forum for engineers and scientists in these fields of advanced computing. Though an influential industry leader, at his heart George was a teacher. He taught math and physics at Jackson College in Hawaii, but created his most lasting impacts as a K-12 educator by founding the Future Scientists and Engineers of America (FSEA). For his contributions, he has received many honors and awards. His legacy continues through the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, which now sponsors annual events that George began: the Rocket Launch, with sponsorship by Boeing, and the Pumpkin Launch with Cal State Fullerton. In his years of retirement in Prescott Valley, George continued hiking and travel and work with education. He also took up bridge, playing with the Best Old Men’s Bridge Group in AZ, and walked a mile every day. George is survived by his wife, Sally (Jelinek) of Prescott Valley; and his children, Gloria and Dan Cox of Austin, Texas, Sylvia Westrom of Beaumont, California, and Dawn and Russ Nelson of Westlake Village, California; nine grandchildren; three great- grandchildren; and his brother, Norlin of Elbow Lake, Minnesota. He is also survived by nieces and nephews and extended family gained through marriage, all of whom will greatly miss his role in their lives. George was preceded in death by two sons, Keith and Steven; and the mother of his children, Margaret (Margie) Morgan Westrom, who was his Bryan College classmate and partnered with George and son Steve to found FSEA. A celebration of George’s remarkable life will be held May 12 in California. Remembrances in his name may be made to Maggie’s Hospice (306 N. Virginia Street, Prescott AZ 86301) and the Good Samaritan Society - Prescott Hospice (www.good-sam.com/foundation/). |
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