Richard Rufer
Richard Rufer died Feb. 25. He was 88.
Rufer was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to parents Angela and Julius Rufer. He graduated from San Lorenzo High School in 1953. He went on to earn a bachelor’s of science and master's degrees in engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and San Jose State University. During his 32-year career at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, he was active in the atomic testing programs and established a groundbreaking version of remote learning through a satellite system based on Mount Diablo.
He is survived by his sister, Margaret Frederich; his children, Claire Crouse, Joan Will and Valery Shawkey; and his grandchildren, Brendan Will, Natalie Will, and Austin Shawkey. He pre-deceased his wife of 47 years, Camille Minichino, by a little over two months. Donations can be made in his memory to Habitat for Humanity.
