William (Bill) Ruvalcaba

William (Bill) Ruvalcaba died Jan. 6. He was 85.

After graduating from Wichita State, with a mechanical engineering degree, Ruvalcaba went to Boeing and became a vacuum systems engineer. He then went to work at EG&G in 1968 where he designed vacuum systems for underground nuclear testing and was the lead vacuum systems engineer on the Cannikan underground nuclear test, on Amchtika Island in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. While at EG&G, he received his master of business administration at Pepperdine University.  After leaving EG&G, he came to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1989 and became division leader for materials engineering division.  He retired in 2000.

Ruvalcaba is survived by his wife Patricia, daughter, Connie Ruvalcaba-Olson (Greg Olson), son Rick Ruvalcaba (Jenn) and stepdaughter Evelyn Chu.  He is also survived by his grandchildren Cole Olson and Cooper and Avery Ruvalcaba.