* John Morley English; Educator

John Morley English, a former UCLA engineering professor remembered for his ability to make dry subjects fun for students, has died. He was 77.

A Camarillo resident since 1979, English taught engineering economics at UCLA from 1949 until his retirement in the early 1980s.

Frank Liu, a friend and fellow UCLA engineering professor, said English had an informal teaching style that made him popular with students.

“Every student loved him,” Liu said. “In addition to that, of course, he was an excellent human being.”

Born in Vancouver, Canada, in 1915, English graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1936.

That same year, he married Marva Mulvaney, also a Vancouver native.

The couple moved to the Los Angeles area in 1940 when his employer, the British Air Commission, assigned him to help purchase American-made warplanes on behalf of the British government.

English earned his master’s degree in engineering at USC and his doctorate in engineering economics at UCLA.

English was also a devotee of bridge. After his retirement, he and his wife belonged to several bridge clubs.

The couple also traveled widely, making trips to India, the Far East, Alaska and Europe.

Marva English, 77, said her husband was very goal-oriented, despite his easygoing personality.

“He was the sort of person who carries through, no matter what, to the end and gets things done in spite of obstacles,” she said.

In addition to his wife, English is survived by two sons, Wayne, who owns an investment firm in Davis, and Marshall, an engineering professor at Oregon State University in Corvallis, and five grandchildren.