John Ratzel

Beginning in the early 1980s, with innovations in satellite technology in a business environment, John Ratzel, SME graduate, established himself as an up-and-coming force in San Diego's mushrooming communications industry. After joining Qualcomm Corp. in 1998, his reputation as a technological visionary continued to flourish. As vice president of technology, Mr. Ratzel spearheaded the technical development of a digital cinema system, a concept that has been implemented in San Diego and throughout the country. Mr. Ratzel, who rose to senior vice president engineering for Qualcomm, died Sunday, February 8, 2004, at Scripps Green Hospital. He was 50. The cause of his death was complications from surgery to remove a tumor from his pancreas, said his wife, Dianne. Until January 19, four days before undergoing surgery, Mr. Ratzel had been involved in various key Qualcomm projects. Among them: developing an encrypted cellular phone that would enable users to communicate on secure government matters in a mobile environment. "He was a selfless, calm, unassuming, caring and compassionate mentor and friend for many of us, " said Kim Koro, Qualcomm's digital media president. "He will be sorely missed." Mr. Ratzel, who earned his doctorate in electrical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was recruited to San Diego in 1978 by Linabit, Inc. Launched as a consulting firm in 1968 by future Qualcomm founders Irwin Jacobs and Andrew Viterbi, Linkabit evolved into a pioneer in communications equipment and helped spawn some of the region's premier telecommunications firms. One of Mr. Ratzel's major projects of the 1980s for Linkabit was Data Aggregator, which adapted satellites for commercial data transfer. He directed a satellite product line, Personal Earth Station, and pioneered a digital telephony product, which spawned the first generation of digital cellular technology. Later, Mr. Ratzel ventured into handset projects in a system now sold under the name Thuraya - a satellite telephone that has been used during the Iraqi conflict and throughout the Middle East. In December 2001, San Diegans got a glimpse of the digital cinema technology that Mr. Ratzel helped develop at AMC Mission Valley 20. Designed to upgrade the conventional 35-millimeter film, digital cinema enables projectionists to select movies and trailers with a click of a mouse. It ensures consistent picture quality, preventing the damage to film traditional projectors can cause over time. John Newland Ratzel was born in Prairie Village, KS. As a youth, he played the clarinet in bands and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He graduated from Shawnee Mission East in 1971. Fast cars and motorcycles were two of his adult passions, his wife said. As a Rancho Penasquitos resident, he enjoyed outings in his Porsche and his BMW R1150R motorcycle. In addition to his wife, survivors include his daughters, Sarah and Allison Ratzel, both of Prairie Village, KS and Elizabeth Vance of San Diego; sons, Todd Vance of San Diego and Eric Ratzel of Prairie Village; mother, Constance Thompson of Tularosa, NM; sister, Carol Webb of Prairie Village; and brothers, Mark Ratzel of Los Angeles, CA and Robert Scott of New York City. A memorial service was held on February 12 at North Coast Presbyterian Church, 1831 S. El Camino Real, Encinitas. Donations are suggested to The Lost Boys of Sudan-San Diego, with checks made payable to IRC (International Rescue Committee), 4535 30th St., Suite 110, San Diego, CA 92116; or MIT Scholarship Program, Office of Memorial Gifts, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave. E, 19-411, Cambridge, MA 02139, memo section: John Ratzel.