Posted on May 1, 1994

Ralph Bennett '21


Ralph D. Bennett '21, former vice chairĀ­man of the Board of Trustees and a trustee emeritus, died Feb. 15. He was ninety-three.



Long one of the College's most active alumni, Ralph Bennett was a regular visitor to campus until the last few years. In addition to trustee meetings, he rarely missed Reunion, HomeĀ­coming, and Alumni Council sessions. Whenever he was on campus, he made a round of visits to administrators and faculty, invariably leaving with the friendly admonition to “Persevere.”



Mr. Bennett earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from the College. He was an early member of the student radio station, one of the first in the country. While visiting campus several years ago, he was a guest on WRUC, recalling the early days of what was then called 2XQ.



As a senior, he was awarded the Bailey Prize for outstanding service to the College. Besides the radio club, he was active in the Electrical Society, Mountebanks, the band, and YMCA.



He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1925. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Union in 1945 and received the Alumni Council's Gold Medal in 1977.



Shortly after graduating, he taught mathematics and physics at the College. He later taught electrical measurements at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was a national research fellow at California Institute of Technology and a research associate at the University of Chicago. For his Navy service during World War II, he won the U.S. Legion of Merit, the Navy Meritorious award, and the Distinguished Civilian Service award, and was named an honorary officer in the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.



As an alumnus, he was a trustee from 1946 until 1979, when he was elected a trustee emeritus. He served as vice chairman from 1969 to 1978. He was chairman of the board's Committee on Academic Affairs for most of his tenure and was a member of the board's Executive Committee. He also served as secretary for his class and associate agent for the Annual Fund.



Before his retirement, he was vice president of the Nuclear Division of the Martin Marietta Corp. Previously, he served as technical director of the U.S. Naval Ordnance Laboratory in Silver Spring, Md. He also served as a consultant, scientist, and research administrator for a number of organizations.



He was a fellow of the Institute of Radio Engineers, the American Physical Society, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. His memberships included the American Society of Engineering, the American Nuclear Society, and Sigma Xi.



Survivors include his wife, the former Anna Gray; a son, Ralph, Jr.; and a daughter, Sarah Reichart.