Dr. John C. Lindenlaub was a trailblazer.  Not the kind you have read about on the front pages of your newspapers or heard about on the evening news.  John was a quiet trailblazer who left a legacy that impacted thousands of lives.

His own trail began on September 10, 1933, when John Charles Lindenlaub was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Ernest and Lillian Lindenlaub.  He was the only child of this marriage.  His three half-sisters Norma, Ruth and June ranged from ages 12 to 20 when John was born and made him an uncle for the first time when he was just 6 years old.

He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at MIT.  There he met and married Deborah Hart in 1957.  They soon moved to West Lafayette, where John completed his PhD at Purdue University and began his career in academia.  He also served in the Army Reserves for several years and was honorably discharged in 1963.

John was a professor of Electrical Engineering at Purdue.  He loved teaching.  His true passion was for experimenting with different teaching formats and employing technology to enhance the learning process.  During his 42-year tenure, he pioneered the use of audio-tutorial instruction in engineering in the late 1960’s, produced video segments for courses in circuit theory and digital logic design, and authored systems for multimedia knowledgebases.

Active at the national level with engineering (IEEE) and engineering education (ASEE) professional societies, John served on the committee that, in 1971, launched the continuing series of Frontiers in Education conferences.

Among his special assignments were serving as a program leader for technology transfer at the Purdue Laboratory for Application of Remote Sensing and Director of the Center for Instructional Development in Engineering.

John was a member of the inaugural group of the Purdue University Book of Great Teachers and received more than a dozen additional honors for his scholarship and service.

In their golden years, John and Deborah were among the first residents to move to University Place, a new retirement community in West Lafayette, Indiana.  He was an active participant in the activities of the Residents’ Council and served on several of its committees.  John and Deborah were founding members of the UPR Foundation, the foundation for University Place residents whose purpose is to aid people in living happier, productive, and useful lives in their senior years.

John would tell you that his professional accomplishments were made possible because of his surviving wife Deborah, who was at his side for 65 years.  He would also say that the achievements he’s most proud of are his surviving children and their families: Brian Peter Lindenlaub (wife Sharon) of American Fork, UT; Mark Chalmers Lindenlaub (wife Peg) of Columbus, IN; Anne Howes Lindenlaub Bronson (husband James) of Western Springs, IL; and David Mathew Lindenlaub (wife Yolanda) of Osceola, IN, along with ten grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in John’s name may be made to St. John’s Episcopal Church, 600 Ferry St., Lafayette, IN 47901 or to the UPR Foundation, c/o University Place, 1700 Lindberg Road, West Lafayette, IN 47906.

Friends will be received from 1:30 pm until 2:30 pm followed by a Celebration of John’s Life at 3:00 pm on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 600 Ferry St. Lafayette, IN 47901.