Obituary of Ernest Upton

Upton, Ernest was born on November 2, 1919 in Victor, CO He spent his youth in Cripple Creek and Denver. He graduated from the University of Denver in 1942 with a BS degree in Electrical Engineering and MIT in 1943 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He joined General Motor's Advanced Product Division in 1943 where he was assigned to the Transmission Group. He was a specialist in the development of automatic transmission torque converters and fluid dynamics. During WWII he designed torque converters for military vehicles including the Hell Cat tank destroyer built by Buick. He retired in 1988 after 45 years and formed an engineering consulting company. He was active in the professional, civic, and church community where he served on many committees and boards including SAE and the Engineering Society of Detroit. For many years he served as a Detroit area educational counselor for MIT. He enjoyed interviewing bright students interested in attending MIT. He was an avid golfer, skier, and private pilot. He died on October 21, 2008 in Bloomfield Hills, MI. He is survived by his wife of 55 years Connie; children Susan Youngman (Fred), Carol Upton Nicholls (Peter), Allen Upton; grandchildren Joshua and Carly Youngman, Zachary Nicholls; many nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at 11:00am Saturday, November 1, 2008 at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 3633 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, MI 48084. A reception will follow at Stonycroft Hills Club. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Northminster Presbyterian Church.