Robert Johnson: Engineering Hall of Fame - 2001

After graduating in 1956 from Jefferson High in Portland, Bob Johnson attended Portland State University and then worked at Tektronix from 1960 to 1968. He worked part-time during his last two years with Tektronix while attending OSU full-time. He went on to work briefly for Texas Instruments before joining National Semiconductor Corporation in 1969 as a Design Section Head. He stayed with the company until his retirement in 1996, finishing his career as Corporate Vice President and Chief Technology and Operating Officer of National Semiconductor in Japan. Under his leadership, NRC's quality ratings improved from "a major problem" to "one of the best" among Japanese customers. Johnson has been a member of the OSU College of Engineering Industrial Advisory Board since 1994.