Ranajit K. Datta, Phd.

RANAJIT K. DATTA, PhD., (88) of Cleveland Heights, OH, passed away Dec. 3, 2021. Ranajit was born on February 1, 1933 in Sylhet, India (now in Bangladesh) to Satyendra Chandra and Kiran Prabha Datta.  After obtaining degrees from Presidency College in Kolkata and IIT, Kharagpur, Ranajit immigrated to the United States to pursue his PhD at Penn State University. Ranajit spent an illustrious 30 year career at General Electric’s Nela Park (Lighting) Division which included developing and patenting current day traffic light technology.  After retiring from GE, he went on to teach at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, VA. An avid collector of art and antiques, he eventually returned to Cleveland, OH, earned his MFA, and became a docent at the Cleveland Museum of Art. In addition, he endowed an annual lecture on Indian art at the museum in honor of his parents. Ranajit was a founding member of the Bengali Cultural Society of Cleveland and a long-time resident of the Forest Hills area in East Cleveland. He is survived by his siblings, Tapash Ranjan Datta and Maitreyee Datta, dozens of cousins, and generations of adoring nieces and nephews. He will be missed dearly by everyone who knew and loved him.

A Celebration of Life will be held in January 2022. Arrangements entrusted to THE DeJOHN-FLYNN-MYLOTT FUNERAL HOME OF SOUTH EUCLID.