Roger William Burtness, 87, of Urbana passed away on Saturday March 23, 2013 at the Meadowbrook Health Center in Urbana, of congestive heart failure.
A celebration of Roger's life will be held on April 1, 2013 at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 2200 S. Philo Road, Urbana, Illinois 61802. The visitation will be at 10:00 AM and the funeral service will follow at 11:00 AM. Following the service, all will be invited to an informal time of conversation and a light lunch, followed by the graveside service for all who wish to attend at 1:30 PM at Roselawn Cemetery, Kirby & 4th St., Champaign.
Mr. Burtness was born May 13, 1925, in Chicago, Illinois, to Harold Wm. and Grace Reinholtzen Burtness. The family moved to Oak Park, Illinois, when he was in seventh grade, and he graduated from Oak Park-River Forest High School. He married Kathryn Avery Cobb of Urbana on November 23, 1947. She survives.
Also surviving are his three children, R. William Burtness Jr. (Susan) of Urbana, Thomas Burtness (Emily) of White Heath, and Kathryn Burtness Blomker (Richard) of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin; eleven grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. His parents and his brother, James H. Burtness, preceded Mr. Burtness in death.
He was awarded a BS (1946), MS (1951), and PhD (1953) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a BA in Economics from St. Olaf College (1947). While earning his bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois, he was part of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps V-12 program and became an ensign in the U.S. Navy upon graduation; upon release from active duty, he served in the U.S. Navy reserve until being discharged in 1966.
Mr. Burtness worked as a test engineer and field engineer for General Electric in Schenectady and Syracuse, New York, and in Erie, Pennsylvania, and then as a section engineer for General Motors in La Grange, Illinois. He subsequently worked for Stewart Warner Electronics in Chicago, Illinois, as a senior project engineer and was later promoted to chief of engineering and research.
Mr. Burtness was a pioneer in the field of alternating current (AC) traction motor drive systems. In 1957, while he was the engineering manager for the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of General Motors, he designed the first AC electric drive alternator for use in diesel-electric train locomotives. This same technology was later used in battle tanks, mining-class earthmovers, and NASA's Apollo and Space Shuttle crawler transporters.
In 1959, he returned to the University of Illinois as associate professor of Electrical Engineering. A gifted teacher, for his 28 years at the University of Illinois, Mr. Burtness imparted his love for the practical applications of the engineering profession to thousands of undergraduate and graduate students, inspiring many to fruitful careers in digital and analog control systems, cellular telephone systems, aerospace controls, power machinery, and computer technology. Mr. Burtness was also the faculty sponsor for numerous senior design projects, including the research project that invented an early prototype AC electric drive system for hybrid electric automobiles, now used in the automotive industry's most fuel-efficient vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius. The car won awards at the nationwide Urban Vehicle Design Competition in 1972.
Roger was a storyteller. He loved sharing his life experiences with others; he also modeled for his children and grandchildren the joy of taking family vacations, reveling in sharing the history and geography of mountains, valleys, forests, deserts, lakes, seashores, cities, and towns. He was an adventurer with a passion for learning; one of his mottos was "Never let school get in the way of your education."
Mr. Burtness was a lifelong member of the Lutheran church, most recently at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Urbana.
Memorials may be given to St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 2200 S. Philo Road, Urbana, Illinois 61802, or an organization of the donor's choice.
A celebration of Roger's life will be held on April 1, 2013 at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 2200 S. Philo Road, Urbana, Illinois 61802. The visitation will be at 10:00 AM and the funeral service will follow at 11:00 AM. Following the service, all will be invited to an informal time of conversation and a light lunch, followed by the graveside service for all who wish to attend at 1:30 PM at Roselawn Cemetery, Kirby & 4th St., Champaign.
Mr. Burtness was born May 13, 1925, in Chicago, Illinois, to Harold Wm. and Grace Reinholtzen Burtness. The family moved to Oak Park, Illinois, when he was in seventh grade, and he graduated from Oak Park-River Forest High School. He married Kathryn Avery Cobb of Urbana on November 23, 1947. She survives.
Also surviving are his three children, R. William Burtness Jr. (Susan) of Urbana, Thomas Burtness (Emily) of White Heath, and Kathryn Burtness Blomker (Richard) of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin; eleven grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. His parents and his brother, James H. Burtness, preceded Mr. Burtness in death.
He was awarded a BS (1946), MS (1951), and PhD (1953) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a BA in Economics from St. Olaf College (1947). While earning his bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois, he was part of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps V-12 program and became an ensign in the U.S. Navy upon graduation; upon release from active duty, he served in the U.S. Navy reserve until being discharged in 1966.
Mr. Burtness worked as a test engineer and field engineer for General Electric in Schenectady and Syracuse, New York, and in Erie, Pennsylvania, and then as a section engineer for General Motors in La Grange, Illinois. He subsequently worked for Stewart Warner Electronics in Chicago, Illinois, as a senior project engineer and was later promoted to chief of engineering and research.
Mr. Burtness was a pioneer in the field of alternating current (AC) traction motor drive systems. In 1957, while he was the engineering manager for the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of General Motors, he designed the first AC electric drive alternator for use in diesel-electric train locomotives. This same technology was later used in battle tanks, mining-class earthmovers, and NASA's Apollo and Space Shuttle crawler transporters.
In 1959, he returned to the University of Illinois as associate professor of Electrical Engineering. A gifted teacher, for his 28 years at the University of Illinois, Mr. Burtness imparted his love for the practical applications of the engineering profession to thousands of undergraduate and graduate students, inspiring many to fruitful careers in digital and analog control systems, cellular telephone systems, aerospace controls, power machinery, and computer technology. Mr. Burtness was also the faculty sponsor for numerous senior design projects, including the research project that invented an early prototype AC electric drive system for hybrid electric automobiles, now used in the automotive industry's most fuel-efficient vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius. The car won awards at the nationwide Urban Vehicle Design Competition in 1972.
Roger was a storyteller. He loved sharing his life experiences with others; he also modeled for his children and grandchildren the joy of taking family vacations, reveling in sharing the history and geography of mountains, valleys, forests, deserts, lakes, seashores, cities, and towns. He was an adventurer with a passion for learning; one of his mottos was "Never let school get in the way of your education."
Mr. Burtness was a lifelong member of the Lutheran church, most recently at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Urbana.
Memorials may be given to St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 2200 S. Philo Road, Urbana, Illinois 61802, or an organization of the donor's choice.
Roger William Burtness, 87, of Urbana passed away on Saturday March 23, 2013 at the Meadowbrook Health Center in Urbana, of congestive heart failure.
A celebration of Roger's life will be held on April 1, 2013 at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 2200 S. Philo Road, Urbana, Illinois 61802. The visitation will be at 10:00 AM and the funeral service will follow at 11:00 AM. Following the service, all will be invited to an informal time of conversation and a light lunch, followed by the graveside service for all who wish to attend at 1:30 PM at Roselawn Cemetery, Kirby & 4th St., Champaign.
Mr. Burtness was born May 13, 1925, in Chicago, Illinois, to Harold Wm. and Grace Reinholtzen Burtness. The family moved to Oak Park, Illinois, when he was in seventh grade, and he graduated from Oak Park-River Forest High School. He married Kathryn Avery Cobb of Urbana on November 23, 1947. She survives.
Also surviving are his three children, R. William Burtness Jr. (Susan) of Urbana, Thomas Burtness (Emily) of White Heath, and Kathryn Burtness Blomker (Richard) of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin; eleven grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. His parents and his brother, James H. Burtness, preceded Mr. Burtness in death.
He was awarded a BS (1946), MS (1951), and PhD (1953) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a BA in Economics from St. Olaf College (1947). While earning his bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois, he was part of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps V-12 program and became an ensign in the U.S. Navy upon graduation; upon release from active duty, he served in the U.S. Navy reserve until being discharged in 1966.
Mr. Burtness worked as a test engineer and field engineer for General Electric in Schenectady and Syracuse, New York, and in Erie, Pennsylvania, and then as a section engineer for General Motors in La Grange, Illinois. He subsequently worked for Stewart Warner Electronics in Chicago, Illinois, as a senior project engineer and was later promoted to chief of engineering and research.
Mr. Burtness was a pioneer in the field of alternating current (AC) traction motor drive systems. In 1957, while he was the engineering manager for the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of General Motors, he designed the first AC electric drive alternator for use in diesel-electric train locomotives. This same technology was later used in battle tanks, mining-class earthmovers, and NASA's Apollo and Space Shuttle crawler transporters.
In 1959, he returned to the University of Illinois as associate professor of Electrical Engineering. A gifted teacher, for his 28 years at the University of Illinois, Mr. Burtness imparted his love for the practical applications of the engineering profession to thousands of undergraduate and graduate students, inspiring many to fruitful careers in digital and analog control systems, cellular telephone systems, aerospace controls, power machinery, and computer technology. Mr. Burtness was also the faculty sponsor for numerous senior design projects, including the research project that invented an early prototype AC electric drive system for hybrid electric automobiles, now used in the automotive industry's most fuel-efficient vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius. The car won awards at the nationwide Urban Vehicle Design Competition in 1972.
Roger was a storyteller. He loved sharing his life experiences with others; he also modeled for his children and grandchildren the joy of taking family vacations, reveling in sharing the history and geography of mountains, valleys, forests, deserts, lakes, seashores, cities, and towns. He was an adventurer with a passion for learning; one of his mottos was "Never let school get in the way of your education."
Mr. Burtness was a lifelong member of the Lutheran church, most recently at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Urbana.
Memorials may be given to St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 2200 S. Philo Road, Urbana, Illinois 61802, or an organization of the donor's choice.
A celebration of Roger's life will be held on April 1, 2013 at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 2200 S. Philo Road, Urbana, Illinois 61802. The visitation will be at 10:00 AM and the funeral service will follow at 11:00 AM. Following the service, all will be invited to an informal time of conversation and a light lunch, followed by the graveside service for all who wish to attend at 1:30 PM at Roselawn Cemetery, Kirby & 4th St., Champaign.
Mr. Burtness was born May 13, 1925, in Chicago, Illinois, to Harold Wm. and Grace Reinholtzen Burtness. The family moved to Oak Park, Illinois, when he was in seventh grade, and he graduated from Oak Park-River Forest High School. He married Kathryn Avery Cobb of Urbana on November 23, 1947. She survives.
Also surviving are his three children, R. William Burtness Jr. (Susan) of Urbana, Thomas Burtness (Emily) of White Heath, and Kathryn Burtness Blomker (Richard) of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin; eleven grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. His parents and his brother, James H. Burtness, preceded Mr. Burtness in death.
He was awarded a BS (1946), MS (1951), and PhD (1953) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a BA in Economics from St. Olaf College (1947). While earning his bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois, he was part of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps V-12 program and became an ensign in the U.S. Navy upon graduation; upon release from active duty, he served in the U.S. Navy reserve until being discharged in 1966.
Mr. Burtness worked as a test engineer and field engineer for General Electric in Schenectady and Syracuse, New York, and in Erie, Pennsylvania, and then as a section engineer for General Motors in La Grange, Illinois. He subsequently worked for Stewart Warner Electronics in Chicago, Illinois, as a senior project engineer and was later promoted to chief of engineering and research.
Mr. Burtness was a pioneer in the field of alternating current (AC) traction motor drive systems. In 1957, while he was the engineering manager for the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of General Motors, he designed the first AC electric drive alternator for use in diesel-electric train locomotives. This same technology was later used in battle tanks, mining-class earthmovers, and NASA's Apollo and Space Shuttle crawler transporters.
In 1959, he returned to the University of Illinois as associate professor of Electrical Engineering. A gifted teacher, for his 28 years at the University of Illinois, Mr. Burtness imparted his love for the practical applications of the engineering profession to thousands of undergraduate and graduate students, inspiring many to fruitful careers in digital and analog control systems, cellular telephone systems, aerospace controls, power machinery, and computer technology. Mr. Burtness was also the faculty sponsor for numerous senior design projects, including the research project that invented an early prototype AC electric drive system for hybrid electric automobiles, now used in the automotive industry's most fuel-efficient vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius. The car won awards at the nationwide Urban Vehicle Design Competition in 1972.
Roger was a storyteller. He loved sharing his life experiences with others; he also modeled for his children and grandchildren the joy of taking family vacations, reveling in sharing the history and geography of mountains, valleys, forests, deserts, lakes, seashores, cities, and towns. He was an adventurer with a passion for learning; one of his mottos was "Never let school get in the way of your education."
Mr. Burtness was a lifelong member of the Lutheran church, most recently at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Urbana.
Memorials may be given to St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 2200 S. Philo Road, Urbana, Illinois 61802, or an organization of the donor's choice.
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