Charles ‘Rip’ Ripley Oct. 20, 1919 – Oct. 8, 2014

By SHARON SNYDER
Los Alamos

Charles “Rip” Ripley was born in October 1919 in Chicago, IL. When he was of age, he spent most of four years at the Los Alamos Ranch School as a student and at times on the staff.

He had attended New Trier High School in Winnetka, Ill., before coming to LARS.

From his time in New Mexico, he became a member of the Class of 1942 at Yale University, but soon found himself a captain in the US Army Medical Corps in World War II.

After the war, Rip married, and he and Betsy settled in Downey, Calif., with two daughters. Rip had learned engineering through his education, and he founded Thermach Engineering Corporation in southern California, specializing in high-temperature plastics, coatings, and moldings used by the military for use in rockets and missiles. The corporation supplied cryogenic seals for NASA’s Saturn Booster and Apollo series rockets, including the maiden voyage of the Lunar Lander. Thermach also worked with the US Air Force in the development of an aircraft that ultimately became the Stealth Bomber.

In retirement, Rip and Betsy moved to Placerville, Calif., where both became involved in numerous civic activities. A favorite of Rip’s was his time spent as a docent for the Placerville Historical Museum, sharing his passion for the history of the California Gold Country with visitors and especially with children on school tours.

Rip was so proud of his days at the Los Alamos Ranch School that his obituary stated, “he graduated on horseback with highest academic honors.”