Friday, March 29, 2024

John Sterling Nisbet

Name of Deceased John Sterling Nisbet
Age 93
Date of Death 06/22/2021
Date of Birth 12/10/1927
Funeral Home Daughenbaugh Funeral Home

Dr. John Stirling Nisbet, 93, of State College, died on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. Born on December 10, 1927, in Darval, Scotland, he was the son of the late Robert George Jackson and Kathleen Agnes (Young) Nisbet. He married J. Valerie Payne, who survives at home.

Along with his wife, John is survived by his sons, Robert and his wife, Janice and Alexander and his wife, Judy and his grandchildren, John, Nicole, Christiana, Robyn, and Heather.

Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Wallace Nisbet and sister, Christine Dodds.

Dr. Nisbet and his family lived in London during the Blitz during World War II. At that time, he was an apprentice in the research laboratories of Nash and Thompson, working on Airborne radars. He received his B.S. from London University. After the war, he joined Decca Radar and became the head of the S band waveguide section. John and Valerie emigrated first to Ontario, Canada, where he worked for Canadian Westinghouse. In 1955, they emigrated to the United States, where he earned a M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University. In 1960, he was appointed as a Professor at Pennsylvania State University in the Electrical Engineering Department and was one of the first scientists to conduct ionospheric research using the Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico. Dr. Nisbet served as the Director of the Ionosphere Research Lab from 1971 to 1984 and later as Director of the Communication and Space Sciences Laboratory from 1984 to 1986. He was appointed as a Distinguished Alumni Professor in 1985 and retired as an Alumni Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering in 1990. He authored numerous scientific papers and served as a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics. He was a National Science Foundation Senior Postdoctoral Fellow in Brussels, 1965; a Fullbright Hays Lecturer, Council of International Exchange Scholars in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 1979; and a Nation Research Centre – National Academy of Science Fellow at the Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland, 1980. He was a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He was also a member of the Unitarian Fellowship. 

John and Valerie were avid travelers, having visited over 100 countries. He gave the gift of appreciation for other cultures to his family by taking them on trips around the world and sabbaticals in France and Belgium. He most enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and traveling with them on trips to the Caribbean, Europe, China, and Egypt.  

Following John’s wishes, all services will be private.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Daughenbaugh Funeral Home, Inc 228 S. Pennsylvania Ave., PO Box 579, Centre Hall, PA 16828. An online guest book can be signed or condolences to the family available at www.daughenbaughfuneralhome.com.