Obituary: Franklin C. Fitchen, Of Easton, Author and Educator

Information Courtesy of Spear-Miller Funeral Home

EASTON, CT — Franklin C. Fitchen, age 92 of Easton, passed away peacefully Tuesday, March 16, 2021.

Franklin was born in New Rochelle, NY, in 1928. He served in the Army Corps in 1954-1955 and subsequently attended the University of Rhode Island and began his career at General Electric in Lynn, MA. During that time he received a Masters from Northeastern and a Doctorate from Yale in Engineering and a PE certificate in 1966.

His career as a university professor stemmed from a love of learning. He became the chairman of Electrical Engineering at South Dakota State University. In 1972 he became dean of Engineering at University of Bridgeport, taught undergrads and graduate students and received an Emeritus Professor of Electrical Engineering in 1992.

He was a successful author of 2 books on transistors and co-authored a third which were published worldwide, along with contributing to over 30 publications. He was involved in professional and honor societies and advisory boards. He consulted for General Dynamics, Electric Boat and the US Navy among others. A love of stamp collecting evolved into an enjoyable business he ran for over 30 years.

He was married for over 70 years to his surviving wife Barbara, and has three children, Roy, Sally and Jeanne, and a granddaughter, Sarah.

Funeral services and burial will be private. To offer an online condolence, please visit www.SpearFuneralHome.com