John A. Robertson, W8JR SK Dr. John A. Robertson, died peacefully at Kobacker House hospice, on December 2, 2021. He was born November 15th, 1941, to parents William and Edna Robertson. Not only was he widely acknowledged as the "go to" person for large, complex solutions, he was a cherished mentor and friend to many over his lifetime. John was devoted to the "love of his life", Barbara, his wife of 46 years, his daughters, Debbie and husband Dr. Peter Czerwinski, Cindi and husband David Buccola, son, Michael Hunter; grandchildren, Brittani Barthelmas, Danny, Ryan, James and Jonathan Hunter, Annie, Mark and Matt Santos, Brandon, Desmond and Janelle Buccola; great grandchildren,Fiona, Alma and Seamus Farley and Knox Hunter; Johns' beloved sisters, Joann and husband Denny Troha, Linda and husband Roger Anderson and brother Jim Robertson. John will be missed by his dear friends, "the uncontrollable bastards", Steve Ingle, Ken Vaughn and Bill Dean. Dr. John A. Robertson was the founder, Chairman, CEO, and heart and soul of InfoSight Corporation in Chillicothe, Ohio. He was the epitome of the innovator, constantly searching for and creating unique ways to make the world a better place. His creativity knew no bounds and his honors include holding 56 patents, being president of the Electrostatic Society of America, a Fellow in the Instrument Society of America, named to the AIDC100 Hall of Fame, a graduate of the Harvard Business School OPM Program, and recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year twice. John grew up in Blue Island, Illinois, and was chosen as one of 39 students to learn "new math." After graduation he attended DeVry Institute and earned a degree in electronics. Along the way he became a licensed amateur radio operator with the call-sign W8JUD, and later W8JR, maintaining a lifelong friendship with childhood friend and fellow amateur K9PMV. John worked in a number of jobs including repairing TVs, fixing Heath Kit projects after their owners had given up, as a station engineer for a broadcast station in Chicago, and as a technician at Fermi Labs. John later earned a PhD in electrical engineering and physics from the University of Illinois, starting his classes at Navy Pier and finishing his research in Champagne. Upon graduation in 1969, John was recruited by Mead Corporation Central Research in Chillicothe, turning down an offer from Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard to work in Silicon Valley. While at Mead he received his first ten patents and became recognized as a world expert in high speed ink jet technology. John took an extended leave of absence to attempt sailing around the world in a 42-foot sloop that he painstakingly rebuilt. He returned periodically to do some consulting but eventually accepted that seasickness had won. With his special knack of seeing opportunity in every adventure, it is reported that an agency of the US government was able to put the wooden hulled boat to good use. John returned to land in Chillicothe where he founded Telesis as an invention-on-demand laboratory that produced as many as 50 unique products per year. Early patents involved data entry terminals and electrostatic length measurement devices. Some of his more fun projects included controlling electrostatic discharge from hovering helicopters and electronic tuners for steel guitars. Eventually Telesis found its niche focusing on product marking and traceability. In 1993 John sold Telesis and along with 13 employees who loved custom design founded InfoSight. John pioneered innovative applications of lasers and ceramics, that together with unique capabilities in custom automation have made InfoSight known around the world as the people who "Barcode Difficult Stuff." In 2018 John achieved his dream of leaving a legacy for the employees of Infosight by completing the transition to being 100% Employee Owned. With grateful hearts, his family greatly appreciate the kindness and compassion shown by the physicians and nursing staff at Grant Hospital and Kobacker House hospice. His passing is of course a loss to us all, but his legacy is clear, his job was fruitful, his family is secure, and we have all benefited from his life. A celebration of John's life is planned for the spring of 2022. Posted online on December 06, 2021 Published in Chillicothe Gazette https://www.chillicothegazette.com/obituaries/mnj227769
