Ralph Haines ’69SEAS followed a lucky star.

Ralph grew up in West Chester, Pennsylvania. While his father worked hard to support four children, there was not enough money left over for college. Thanks to a scholarship, Ralph was able to realize his dream: an Ivy League school in New York City.

His Columbia experience instilled a sense of confidence and pride, and the quality of his engineering courses—Columbia was among the first to make semi-conductors part of its curriculum—launched his career after graduation.

“My lucky star timing was instrumental in finding the perfect profession,” he said. “It was the dawn of micro-electronics, and I landed right at the beginning. Though I loved New York City life, my heart led me to pursue California opportunities.”

Ralph moved to Silicon Valley even before it was known by that name, working as a semi-conductor design engineer primarily in micro-processors for automotive and consumer goods and winning patents along the way.

“I had challenging jobs that spanned great design teams, multi-national companies, and start-ups,” he said. “I was exposed to many wonderful, smart people all across the globe. My career was wildly successful, financially and intellectually.” 

Grateful for the opportunities Columbia gave him, he established the Ralph Haines Scholarship Fund with contributions made primarily from his individual retirement account (IRA).

“I want to help support future generations of students,” he said. “I received a scholarship to go to Columbia. I could not have gone without it. And I like making a difference. Money spent on students is a good way to help make a better future.”