Professor John F. "Jack" McDonald

1942 - 2020

McDonald, Professor John "Jack" F. CLIFTON PARK Professor John "Jack" F. McDonald died February 21, 2020, at Albany Medical Center Hospital in Albany. Jack was the loving husband of Karen (Knapp) McDonald of Clifton Park. Jack was the son of Francis Patrick and Lulu Ann (Hegedus) McDonald. He was born on January 14, 1942, in Bryn Mawr, Pa. He also lived in Narberth, Pa., Norfolk, Va., Trumbull, Conn., Troy and Clifton Park. His nearest relative is a brother Robert Charles and his wife Gay Gibson McDonald of Stow, Mass. and a nephew, Gavin Gibson McDonald of Santa Barbara, Calif. Karen's brother is David and his wife Heleen (Wells) Knapp of Ballston Lake; her sister, Merrilyn (Knapp) Cournoyer of Fruitland, Fla.; and a niece, Kate Knapp. The McDonald's were friends with two former foster children, Abby and Michael. Jack received his B.S.S.E. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, M.S. and Ph.D. in engineering from Yale University. He was an assistant professor at Yale University. At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, his office was located in the electrical, computer, and system engineering department in the Jonson Engineering Center. He was a founding member of the Rensselaer Center for Integrated Electronics. He was a contributor to more than 300 articles to professional publications. His memberships were Computing Machinery, IEE (he was a life senior member), Associate Editor Transactions on VSLI Design. He was an educator by heart. He loved teaching his students and preparing them for their future careers. He taught courses in communication theory, coding and switching theory, computer architecture, integrated circuit design, high frequency packaging and digital signal processing over his career of 45 years at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy. He had 12 patents and numerous grants. John was a consultant to the United States Government and private companies. He was in Who's Who in America and the World. John provided papers at conferences in England, France, Portugal, Italy, Holland and Germany. His current focus was in chip design and integrated circuit design. His Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Edward the Confessor Church in Clifton Park with Father Patrick Butler, Pastor officiating. There will be no public calling hours. Interment will be in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Waterford. All services will be private. In lieu of flowers, kindly make donations to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 5 Computer Dr. West, Suite 100, Albany, NY, 12205. Arrangements have been entrusted by the family to the Gordon C. Emerick Funeral Home, Clifton Park. For online condolences, please visit Gordoncemerickfuneralhome.com