John MacPhee, Former Baldwin Executive and Industry Inventor, Passes

NORWALK, Conn. - December 12, 2017 - John MacPhee, a resident of Rowayton, Conn., for 59 years, and of Norwalk for the past three years, passed away on Dec. 1, 2017, after a long illness.

Mr. MacPhee was born in Port Chester, N.Y. in 1928, and served in the U.S. Navy for two years.

Mr. MacPhee was an engineer with a career in research and development that spanned over 50 years. For the last 25 years of his career he worked for Baldwin Technology, first as VP of engineering, then as VP, research and technology, and then as senior scientist.

During his tenure at Baldwin, Mr. MacPhee co-invented two of Baldwin's most successful products: the cloth/pressure-pad type of automatic blanket cleaner and the Delta Dampener. He also carried out many research programs that led to a better understanding of the lithographic process. With the encouragement and cooperation of Baldwin, this newly gained knowledge was shared with the industry through the publication of over 50 articles and papers on various aspects of lithographic technology, including the book, "Fundamentals of Lithographic Printing."

Earlier in his career, Mr. MacPhee made an important contribution to the understanding of deep-drawing, a metalworking process, by developing and publishing a rationale for sizing the tooling used in redrawing. He also worked in the field of industrial robots for almost five years, and as a nuclear engineer/reactor physicist for 13 years.

Mr. MacPhee's career was marked by over 20 inventions in the nuclear, industrial, robot and graphic arts industries that have been the subject of over 100 patents worldwide.

Mr. MacPhee was first trained as an electronics technician in the US Navy where he was honorably discharged with the rank of Petty Officer, First Class. In 1952, he graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a bachelor of electrical engineering degree. He was also trained as a nuclear engineer as a result of completing the program at Oak Ridge School of Reactor Technology in 1954, after which he worked for Electric Boat on the construction of the U.S.S. Nautilus, the first U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarine.

He was particularly proud that he was on board the Nautilus during its first sea trial and when the reactor was brought to full power. In addition, he subsequently completed six graduate courses in servo technology and materials science and then obtained a master's degree in business policy from Columbia University in 1983.

Mr. MacPhee's contributions to the graphic arts industry were recognized by three awards: The TAGA Honors Award from the Technical Association of the Graphic Arts; the Robert F. Reed Award for Technical Achievement from the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation; and the Craftman's Award, from the National Association of Printers and Lithographers. Mr. MacPhee was also a 1992 inductee into the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF) Society of Fellows, which was later merged into the PIA Ben Franklin Honor Society.

Mr. MacPhee is survived by his wife, Betty Hadden MacPhee, his children, Jeanne, David and Scott, grandchildren Eleanor and Jonathan, and nieces and nephews.

There will be a memorial gathering of friends and family on Dec. 16, at 2:00 p.m., with remarks and remembrances at 2:30 p.m., at the Rowayton Methodist Church, 5 Pennoyer St., Rowayton, Conn.

Burial will be private; arrangements by Hoyt-Cognetta Funeral Home. Please visit www.Norwalkfh.com for more information.

Source: Printing Industries of America.

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of Printing Impressions.