John Brown, professor emeritus of electrical engineering, died on Feb. 20. He was 85.
A native of Ellenville, N.Y., Brown received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Ohio University and his doctoral degree in applied mathematics from Brown University.
He joined the Penn State Ordinance Research Laboratory, now the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL), in 1951.
Brown's research interests included statistical communication theory and underwater acoustics. He was a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and published extensively.
Brown retired in 1987 after 36 years of teaching and research at ARL and the Department of Electrical Engineering.
Brown and his wife, Marlynn "Lynn" Sidehamer, created a $50,000 in their names to support programming for the Center for the Performing Arts. In 2010, the center recognized the couple with its Distinguished Service Award.
Memorial plans for Brown are under way.