John Norton Park

Dateline: Rexford, NY
John Norton Park left this universe on February 27th at the age of 93. He was born January 20, 1931, in Albany, New York, the son of the late John Watson Park and Mildred Norton.
John received his BEE degree in 1953, his MEE degree in 1956, and his PhD from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1966. He was appointed member of the Graduate Faculty in 1967 and received his Associate Professorship in 1968 teaching graduate and undergraduate courses. His students considered him an outstanding and dedicated instructor making "dull courses interesting" and voted him "most popular professor" twice. John considered teaching the primary function of the educational system and was the third generation in his family to do so. He was a member of Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, Society of the Sigma Xi, and IEEE.
In 1977 John was offered the position of Electrical Engineer at General Electric Research and Development Center, Solid-State Power Control Branch, and with a growing family, he regrettably left teaching and scholarly writing. Even at GE, he enjoyed teaching the young interns and earned the reputation of "when John Park designs it, it's done right."
In 1992, he flew to Paris, France representing General Electric's expertise at an international gathering of engineers. John's knowledge in electronic device physics made significant contributions to power systems. Three examples, the first electric car GE developed, the MRI, and satellites orbiting mother earth. By 1997, he had 28 patents granted in Corporate Research and Development. He was awarded a Gold Patent Medallion, a Certificate of Excellence in 2006 for great contribution to the success of the Micro-Switch Team, and "Best Paper of Sessions" at the 1994 International Symposium on Microelectronics.
After retirement from General Electric, John and Moira traveled across the U.S. and Britain to visit old friends and make new ones. John was never too far from the hotel piano. Surprised hotel guests were delighted by the evenings of smooth and cool jazz ballads coming from the stranger at the keys, with shades of Bill Evans, John's ultimate musical hero.
John was multi-gifted with music in the fabric of his being. His duo with Ron Partch on bass, and later a trio joined by Jan Eisen on vocals, Sophisticated Jazz, entertained devoted fans for over 50 years. The group performed in most of the tri-city jazz rooms, lounges, and clubs from the Shadow Box in Guilderland, the Petite Paris in Albany, and the Van Dyke Jazz Club in Schenectady. John also played private parties in Saratoga during racing season, at the Equinox Hotel in Manchester, Vermont, and in numerous other locations. John delighted his listeners with fluid harmonies bursting with color in the spirit of Evans. He loved meeting other musicians of varied styles and enjoyed their mutual camaraderie.
In the summers, John loved to waterski, teaching former students, friends, and two little Parks at the camp on Eagle Lake. He always loved the lakes and treasured his childhood memories of Fair Haven Camp on Lake Ontario. His 12-foot classic Penn Yan could be seen flying down the lake with several skiers attached to the back and John shouting directions. He never lost his endless enthusiasm for sharing his love of watersport and skied into his 70s.
John is survived by his loving wife of 61 years who he met on a blind date, Moira Jean Park; son Keith John Park; daughter Heather Laura Park Hatchett, spouse Greg Hatchett; grandson Ethan Park Hatchett; granddaughter Emily Brooke Hatchett. He is also survived by his loyal and devoted kitty, Peeka. John was her person.
All are invited to attend an hour of visitation between 2:00 and 3:00 PM on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Townley & Wheeler Funeral Home, 21 Midline Rd., Ballston Lake, NY 12019. A Celebration of Life will follow at 3:00 PM led by Chaplain Claudia Meyer of Albany, NY.
Those who wish may make memorial donations in lieu of flowers to Hudson Mohawk Humane Society, 3 Oakland Ave., Menands, NY 12204.