Saturday, January 232027
Family and friends are warmly invited to gather in celebration of Ralph's life, to share stories, and to remember him together.
Kindly Reply
We will choose a venue based on a rough sense of how many people plan to attend. Please reply by December 1 if you hope to be able to attend.
In Lieu of Flowers
We will soon have details to share about a scholarship fund at MIT being created in Ralph's name.
Remembering Ralph
A giant walked among us.
At home, Ralph's job came down to one line: "he helps keep the lights on." In most households that would mean paying the bills. For Ralph it was literally true. He graduated from MIT in Course 6 in 1968 and earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering there in 1973. Over a career of more than fifty years in power systems, he helped build the tools that let grid operators see, understand, and safely run the electric grid: energy management and SCADA systems, real-time analysis, and the simulators that train the people in the control room.
His curiosity never settled. As the grid changed, his questions changed with it, reaching into electricity markets, energy storage, distributed energy resources, and new ways of measuring risk and uncertainty. He was a Fellow of the IEEE and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, honored for contributions to online analysis, operator training simulation, and modern market development for the secure operation of electric power grids. Congress and the Department of Energy sought out his expertise. Even after he retired, he was still sketching out new ideas and nudging colleagues to think further.
The people who worked with Ralph tend to talk first about who he was. He was brilliant without needing anyone to notice, humble, good-humored, and generous with his ideas. He could bring a dense technical problem to life with a good story. As a mentor, he asked hard questions gently and left people more capable and more confident than he found them. Many who worked beside him say they became better engineers, better leaders, and better people for knowing him.
Outside of work, Ralph was a runner in his early adult years. Later in life he became a woodworking artist, building desks, armoires, and dressers for his children and grandchildren. Among his pieces is a tool storage cabinet whose doors carry a hand-carved relief of his home in Pennsylvania. He brought the same patience and precision to the workshop that he brought to the grid.
He stood among the giants of his field and let a great many others stand on his shoulders. Through his work and the people he shaped, he helped turn darkness into light.
Traveling to the Celebration
- By air: fly into San Francisco International (SFO). Oakland (OAK) and San Jose (SJC) are 30 to 45 minutes away by car.
- By train: BART and Caltrain both serve the Peninsula and meet at Millbrae station.
- Where to stay: Burlingame, Millbrae and South San Francisco have many hotels near the airport. We will include hotel suggestions once the venue is set.
Share a Memory
If you have a story or photograph of Ralph, we would be grateful to include it at the celebration. You can share them in the RSVP form, or send them to rememberingralphmasiello@gmail.com.