John Donaldson
John Gleason Donaldson, 86, of Lake Forest, California, passed away on November 22, 2014 at Irvine Medical Center, Irvine, California after a brief illness.
Private services were held by the family.
John was preceded in death by his wife Sandra and two sisters Marion Davis and Harriette Sanford.
He is survived by two sons, John Scott Donaldson of Coarsegold, California and James Alvin Donaldson, of Warner, New Hampshire, and a daughter, Sonya Lee Bangston, of Santa Ana, CA. John is also survived by his son in law, David Bangston, and his grandchildren, Alex Bangston and Christopher Bangston, of Santa Ana, California, as well as Sonya Lyons, his sister in law and several other nieces and nephews.
Born July 18, 1928 in Corry, Pennsylvania, Mr. Donaldson was the son of Leslie Roy (LR) and Olive Gleason Donaldson of Spring Creek, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Spring Creek and attended Youngsville High School. He went to Thiel College, graduating in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. He then joined the Army and served in Korea. Following his military service he worked for his father at the Donaldson Brothers General Store in Spring Creek. He married Sandra Suttles in Norfolk, Virginia on August 31, 1953. They lived in Meadville, PA for several years, moving to Warren, PA in 1957. In 1976 he moved with his family to Tustin, CA. After losing his wife Sandra in 2001 he moved to Lake Forest.
Mr. Donaldson’s professional career spanned five decades. He began as a chemical engineer in 1954 at the Talon Company in Meadville, PA. Talon’s patented “sliding fastener”, now known as the zipper, was John’s introduction to electroplating. In 1957 he joined Sylvania in Warren, PA as a foreman in the plating shop. While at Sylvania he pioneered methods for selective plating of metal stampings, receiving numerous patents. He was active in the American Electroplating Society (AES) and published a number of technical papers. He was elected president of the AES in 1972, a position he held for two years. Mr. Donaldson left Sylvania in 1976 to join ITT Cannon in Santa Ana, CA, a manufacturer of electrical connectors. He managed the plating department at ITT Cannon for ten years. In 1986 he became a selfemployed consultant, providing electroplating technical services to various clients including the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. From 1991 through 1994 he wrote a monthly column “For Platers Only” for Metal Finishing magazine.
Mr. Donaldson’s interests included writing, painting, skiing, hiking, camping and running. He has written several books, the first was about his experiences in the plating industry. This was followed by two memoirs, and a bound ‘scrapbook’, of his boyhood days growing up in Spring Creek. John will be fondly remembered by friends and family for his keen sense of humor and his love of life.
John Donaldson
John Gleason Donaldson, 86, of Lake Forest, California, passed away on November 22, 2014 at Irvine Medical Center, Irvine, California after a brief illness.
Private services were held by the family.
John was preceded in death by his wife Sandra and two sisters Marion Davis and Harriette Sanford.
He is survived by two sons, John Scott Donaldson of Coarsegold, California and James Alvin Donaldson, of Warner, New Hampshire, and a daughter, Sonya Lee Bangston, of Santa Ana, CA. John is also survived by his son in law, David Bangston, and his grandchildren, Alex Bangston and Christopher Bangston, of Santa Ana, California, as well as Sonya Lyons, his sister in law and several other nieces and nephews.
Born July 18, 1928 in Corry, Pennsylvania, Mr. Donaldson was the son of Leslie Roy (LR) and Olive Gleason Donaldson of Spring Creek, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Spring Creek and attended Youngsville High School. He went to Thiel College, graduating in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. He then joined the Army and served in Korea. Following his military service he worked for his father at the Donaldson Brothers General Store in Spring Creek. He married Sandra Suttles in Norfolk, Virginia on August 31, 1953. They lived in Meadville, PA for several years, moving to Warren, PA in 1957. In 1976 he moved with his family to Tustin, CA. After losing his wife Sandra in 2001 he moved to Lake Forest.
Mr. Donaldson’s professional career spanned five decades. He began as a chemical engineer in 1954 at the Talon Company in Meadville, PA. Talon’s patented “sliding fastener”, now known as the zipper, was John’s introduction to electroplating. In 1957 he joined Sylvania in Warren, PA as a foreman in the plating shop. While at Sylvania he pioneered methods for selective plating of metal stampings, receiving numerous patents. He was active in the American Electroplating Society (AES) and published a number of technical papers. He was elected president of the AES in 1972, a position he held for two years. Mr. Donaldson left Sylvania in 1976 to join ITT Cannon in Santa Ana, CA, a manufacturer of electrical connectors. He managed the plating department at ITT Cannon for ten years. In 1986 he became a selfemployed consultant, providing electroplating technical services to various clients including the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. From 1991 through 1994 he wrote a monthly column “For Platers Only” for Metal Finishing magazine.
Mr. Donaldson’s interests included writing, painting, skiing, hiking, camping and running. He has written several books, the first was about his experiences in the plating industry. This was followed by two memoirs, and a bound ‘scrapbook’, of his boyhood days growing up in Spring Creek. John will be fondly remembered by friends and family for his keen sense of humor and his love of life.