Obituary of Eugene Shipman Lindstrom

E.S. (Eugene Shipman) Lindstrom, 94, of State College, died peacefully Friday, July 14, 2017, at Foxdale Village.

Born January 12, 1923, in Ames, IA, he was the son of the Ernest Walter and Achsah Cornelia Anderson Lindstrom. On September 8, 1949 he married Eleanor Eastman Joys, who preceded him in death on July 9, 2011.

He is survived by three children, Karen Kimball of Vienna, VA, Mark of Memphis, TN and Scott and his wife, Martha, of Madison, WI; four grandchildren, Stefan (Margot) and Sean (Liane) Kimball and Sarah and Andrew Lindstrom; three great-granddaughters and one great-grandson on the way. In addition to his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by one son, Jon; his son in-law, David Kimball; and his sisters and brothers-in-law: Rosemary Manis and her husband, Gene, and Nike Buck and her husband, Bill.

Gene was a 1940 graduate of Ames High School. He attended Swarthmore College and Iowa State University before receiving his BSc and PhD degrees ('Nitrogen Fixation by Photosynthetic Bacteria') from The University of Wisconsin-Madison after World War II.

During the war, Gene was a Corporal in the 8th Army Air Corps, serving in Northern Ireland, France and Germany. He taught Russian, became a chemical warfare specialist and took part in the 'American Raiders' effort to retrieve German aviation technology. On May 8, 1945, while the rest of his squadron was celebrating Victory in Europe, he recounted that he was on the teletype with the tech folks back at Wright Field describing a previously unseen radar antenna configuration on a Junkers Ju88 that a German pilot had surrendered earlier in the day at the airfield in Augsburg, Germany.

In 1951, Gene began his teaching career at The Pennsylvania State University, first as Assistant Professor of Bacteriology, then Associate Dean of the College of Science and finally Head of the Biology Department. He retired in 1988 as Professor Emeritus of Bacteriology.

Gene was an amateur radio operator WA3RHM, 'Whiskey Alpha 3 Red Hot Momma', with a call log listing QSLs from all seven continents. He was a regular driver for Meals on Wheels and a member of the Borough's Shade Tree Commission. Gene was on the Vestry at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, State College, where he was an active member for many years.

Services will be private at the convenience of the family, and burial will be in the Shipman family plot on September 16, 2017 at Forest Hills Cemetery, Madison, WI.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Meals on Wheels, 205 S Garner St, State College, PA 16801 or to the Dr. Jon T. Lindstrom Endowed Scholarship Fund, 405 Administration Building, 1 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701.

Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com. The family thanks everyone for the memories and warm condolences from all the people that Gene knew during his long well-lived life. It was truly a wonderful life… and now a final QSL from WA3RHM.