Robert Warren Johnson, 76 June 29, 1940 - Dec. 22, 2016Dr. Robert (Bob) Warren Johnson was born on June 29, 1940, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Carl and Edna (Davison) Johnson. He died on December 22, 2016, at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota. Bob grew up in Kew Gardens, Queens, and Baldwin, Long Island, New York. He graduated with a physics major from Columbia College in 1961 and earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from the City University of New York in 1969. He was a student of Louis Auslander.In 1973, after four years at Lehigh University, Bob was hired by St. Cloud State University to help start the Computer Science program. There, he taught both mathematics and computer science classes, coordinated internships, did research in Lie Algebras and was instrumental in developing engineering majors for the university. Between 1986 and 1991, Bob took a leave of absence to work at the Center for Large Scale Computation at the City University of New York Graduate Center under a grant from the National Institutes of Health. He returned to St. Cloud State University in 1991 to pursue his research in Digital Signal Processing with a new grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. In 1999, Bob retired from St. Cloud State University and patented the Dimensionless Fast Fourier Transform Method and Apparatus.He was a founder of MathStar, a technology company which used his algorithms to produce a new type of microprocessor chip. In 2002, Bob retired from MathStar to return to his own research.Throughout his life, Bob never wavered in his passion for science and his pursuit of knowledge. This passion made Bob uniquely interesting, and he proudly shared it with his children and grandchildren, some of whom have gone on to pursue careers in science as well. He also loved spending time at the lake with his family. He is survived by his wife, Sandra; his children Jeremy Johnson (Anna Matsukevich), Matthew Johnson (Rachel Bishop), Donn Robertson (Maronda), and Nicole Saeger (Patrick); his grandchildren Noah Johnson, McKenna Robertson, Allison Saeger and Amanda Saeger. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Gail Johnson Meade.A memorial service to celebrate Bob's life will be held this summer. Memorials in Bob's name may be directed to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society at
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/.
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