Raymond Hemann

Hemann, Raymond G.
January 24, 1933 - March 31, 2012
Ray, loving husband, father, grandfather and well-respected aerospace defense and systems engineer, left this world on Saturday, March 31 to join his son James. He is survived by his wife Pamela; daughter Carolyn, son-in-law Dale and granddaughter Amy; daughter-in-law Laura and grandsons Jared and Eric. Ray was born in Cleveland, OH. After serving in the Korean war, he earned his bachelor's degree from Florida State University (FSU) and two masters' degrees from California State University at Fullerton (CSUF). His true passion in life was aviation, demonstrated by his career, starting with North American Aviation to Lockheed Aircraft to Rockwell International, where he retired in 1988 to start his own systems engineering company, Advanced Systems Research, Inc. Certified as a multi-engine and glider pilot, he enjoyed flying with his family and friends, especially his son James who became a glider pilot. Ray was also a part of the Civil Air Patrol. He was a voracious reader, seeker of knowledge, and had great curiosity about how things worked, as evidenced by his extensive library and research efforts. Often referred to as a "one-man think tank," he served as a consultant to the highest levels of the US Department of Defense, intelligence agencies and Congress. He was a well-respected lecturer on defense management issues and systems engineering at academic institutions, such as the Naval Post Graduate School and California Institute of Technology; and industry groups nationwide and internationally, such as Center for Strategic & International Studies and the National Air & Space Intelligence Center. Ray was a founding director of the Florida State University Research Foundation through which the synthetic cancer drug Taxol was brought to market. He also founded and chaired both the FSU and CSU Fullerton Engineering Advisory Councils. Florida State University honored him as a "Grad Made Good" in 2004 and he was selected by California State Fullerton as "One of one hundred College of Business and Economics Graduates at the Top" in 2008. Ray was a founder of the Remotely Piloted Vehicle Association, where he applied his vision and insight into designing the prototypes for today's life-saving and intelligence-gathering drones. His civic and charitable contributions were numerous. He volunteered at Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, where he recorded college text books in science, math and economics. His love for education led him to serve on the board of the Art Center College of Design and the Caltech Y, both in Pasadena. He was instrumental in the founding and development of the acclaimed Internet math and science education site www.whyville.net. He was a former board member of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium Foundation, Associated Aviation, Inc. and the American Heart Association Foothill Division. Until his death he served on the Los Angeles County Quality & Productivity Commission, as an appointee of Supervisor Michael Antonovich. His corporate board service included Full Circle Solutions, Inc. and Numedeon, Inc. A memorial and celebration of his life is planned for later this month. For details please contact a family member. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be sent "In Memory of Raymond Hemann" to: Methodist Hospital Foundation, 300 West Huntington Dr. Arcadia, CA 91007 or Pasadena Humane Society, 361 S. Raymond Ave. Pasadena, CA 91105.