Richard A. Wallace ’62

Dick died June 12, 2025, in Cloverdale, Calif.

He came to us from Port Jefferson (N.Y.) High School, where he played tennis, was active in school clubs, and a member of the National Honor Society. At Princeton, he was a member of Whig-Clio, the Woodrow Wilson Society, played IAA tennis and squash, and majored in aeronautical engineering.

After graduation he received a master’s of science degree in aeronautics and astrophysics from the University of Washington in 1964. After working briefly for Boeing, he went to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Caltech. His work there was followed by short employments elsewhere. In 1971, he returned to JPL/Caltech for the rest of his career. In our 20th-reunion yearbook, he noted he was lucky to have helped get off the drawing boards almost all the planetary missions that the U.S. had launched.

In 1985, Dick married Madeline Ryder, whom he had met on a project at JPL. During his career he received numerous team and individual awards, including the NASA Exceptional Service Award in 2000. Personal interests were backpacking, reading, music, and painting.

Dick is survived by his wife, Madeline, and daughter Cary Finale.