Robert Ralph Meola Sr.

Robert Ralph Meola, Sr.

Robert Ralph Meola, Sr., known to all who knew him as Professor, passed away at the age of 93.

Bob was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey the son of Ralph (1908-2001 ) and Kathryn (1910-1990). He was their beloved only child. As a child, he studied dance and music, and he famously danced with Mitzi Mayfair of the Ziegfeld Follies at a live performance. He performed with his gymnast father at YMCA shows and on the pylons of the Atlantic City boardwalk. Bob attended the Newark Arts High School where he graduated valedictorian and then went on to study at the Newark College of Engineering where he graduated in 1946--not yet 20 years old. At this point in his life, he grew his tell-tale mustache to start teaching people older than he was.

In 1947, he met and married the love of his life, Maria Suppa (deceased 2010). They met at a wedding where he and Maria spent the night dancing the Peabody. They were avid Big Band music fans and went dancing often, throughout their life. In 1949, Bob received his Masters in Electrical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken.

Early in his career, Bob worked at Western Electric where he developed a patent for the lighting system then used at the Empire State Building. He worked as a professor for 42 years at what's now called the NJ Institute of Technology where he developed an early curriculum for the study of transistor circuits. He was a full professor and the Assistant Chairman of the Electrical Engineering Department.

Bob and Marie had two sons, Robert Jr (1951) and Kenneth (1953). They moved to Parsippany —Troy Hills and lived there as the boys grew. An early memory of the boys, who shared a room, was a large chalkboard mounted on their wall. Each evening their dad would write math equations on the board for them to solve before they went to sleep. Until weeks before his death, Bob could recite the value of Pi to fifteen decimal points—a feat he performed often.

After his retirement from NJIT, Bob went on to travel the world with Maria and became a Trustee for their retirement community, Leisure Village East in Lakewood. He spent many hours golfing, planning theatrical events, and watching his five grandchildren. They fondly remember Granddad playing endlessly with them, never hesitating to get down on his hands and knees.

Always quick with a joke, Bob frequently recited his favorite story "The Preacher and the Donkey." In his final years, after the death of his wife, he moved to Crestwood Manor in Whiting, where he passed away.

Bob is survived by his sons, Kenneth (Mary Hoover) and Robert Jr. (Deborah), five grandchildren Daniel(Stacey Meyer); Matthew (Lisa Ing); Katherine; Patricia; and Abigail; and three great-grandchildren, Alexander, Tristan and Clara.