Remembered as a gifted engineer that always had time for his colleagues and students, the Cullen College of Engineering is expressing its condolences for Earl Joseph “Joe” Charlson, a 15-year professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.
Charlson passed away in early April. A memorial service was held in Monroe City, Missouri, followed by a burial at the Holy Rosary Cemetery.
He was born in 1938 in Hannibal, Missouri, to Ben Charlson and Loretta Mudd Charlson. He was married to Elaine Louis Charlson on June 18, 1966, at the St. Louis Cathedral. She preceded him in death on February 18, 2018. Elaine also worked at UH for several years as Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
Growing up, Charlson attended Holy Rosary School and Church and even mowed the church cemetery in his youth. After graduation, he earned his Bachelor of Science from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, followed by a Ph.D. from the Carnegie Institute of Technology.
Charlson went on to serve as Dean of Engineering and taught for 35 years at the University of Missouri, and 15 years at the University of Houston. In addition to his classroom work, he wrote technical engineering textbooks, contributing significantly to his field.
His colleagues at the Cullen College of Engineering remembered him as a strong researcher that was perhaps even better in the classroom and as a mentor to other professors. Almost everyone cited his warm presence during lunchtime conversations that ranged from everyday life to research interests.
Professor Jinghong Chen said Charlson and former professor Wanda Zagozdzon-Wosik helped him “enormously” when it came to developing his own teaching materials.
“In Spring 2015, when I taught Advanced Topics in Microelectronics, Joe came by my office and handed me his own ECE 7349 lecture notes. His kindness and help meant more to me than he ever knew,” Chen said.
“I often remember the many conversations we shared about Cadence issues, DRC and LVS design rules, Verilog ASIC synthesis, and deep submicron transistor characteristics, whether in the lunch room, in his office or during walks to the parking lot. Those moments were full of learning and always carried Joe’s calm wisdom.”
Chen added, “Joe was one of the most generous and kind people I have ever met. I will always remember his wisdom and his willingness to help anyone who needed it. I believe the best way we can honor him is to follow in his footsteps and continue strengthening the UH circuits and VLSI program that he cared about so deeply. Rest in peace, Joe.”
Diana De La Rosa-Pohl, an instructional associate professor and the Director of Endeavour S-STEM Program, knew Charlson both as a student in his very-large-scale integration (VLSI) class and then later as a colleague.
“He treated me the same in both roles, with kindness and always with a smile on his face,” she said. “He was always eager to help. He lit up when you asked him really geeky semiconductor questions. And he would always stop in the hallway and have a conversation with you. If you were lucky he would tell you one of his many great stories from the early days of the semiconductor industry.”
She added, “I have a tremendous amount of respect for him as an educator and as an all-around great human being. I still aspire to be as effective as he was in the classroom. He didn’t need a degree in education to be student-centered. He was doing it before it was cool. He was just a really cool dude. And I miss him.”
David Shattuck, an associate professor, remembered the lighthearted moments that Charlson was often responsible for.
“There were many things that I will remember about Joe, fondly. The two that I will mention here is that Joe and [former ECE professor] Ovidiu Crisan had a competition that went on for years, where they kept score of who held the door for whom, and how many times. They would race to get to the door first, to open it for the other.”
“The second is that Joe was the one who had the window installed on the hallway door of the room with the copier in it. He had seen people open the door into other people too often, he saw a solution, and made it happen. I know that Joe did many things for many people. But every time you do not get hit by that door, thank Joe.”
Outside of the office, Charlson was known for being soft spoken, intelligent and having a sense of humor. He found joy in fishing at South Lake in St. Peters Township in Missouri, woodworking, and playing the banjo and ukulele. He will be remembered for his intellect, dedication, and quiet, meaningful presence.
Charlson was a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Monroe City. Memorial contributions may be made to Holy Rosary Catholic School.