Rodger L. Gamblin ’54 *65

Rodger died Aug. 7, 2023.

He prepared at St. Louis Country Day School, where he participated in football, soccer, and publications. Rodger majored in basic engineering, joined Key and Seal and Whig-Clio, and served on the Sophomore Council. He played freshman and JV soccer.

In 1955, he joined Princeton’s Project Matterhorn, which was conducting research to develop controlled thermonuclear energy, and he eventually earned a Ph.D. in physics there. In 1959, he began a 17-year career with IBM to develop computer systems. In 1976, he became director of the research and development section of the Mead Corp., retiring as vice president in 1979. An entrepreneur and inventor, he then started two companies and was author or co-author of more than 40 patents.

Throughout his life, Rodger was an avid gardener and cook. In midlife, he married Kathleen Burch. They spent the next 40 years cooking together and traveling. He enjoyed spending time with their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He loved sharing with them his passion for knowing how the world works, and how to make things.

Alzheimer’s disease struck, and Rodger steadily declined over his final 10 years, remaining at home until the end. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen; children Anne, Rodger, Lawrence, Sarah, and Amanda; stepchildren Julie, Jennifer, Mark, and Sharon; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.