Today would have been my father's father's 100th birthday. Ralph Beach. He died 16 or 17 years ago. I don't know much about him. I know that he was an electrical engineer. Berkeley graduate. He was born in Lakeport California apparently on the dining room table in his parent's home. He was probably more complex than we know. He worked at Los Alamos for the Manhattan Project, but we're not sure what he did. He may have worked on the detonator for the Atomic bomb. Or he could have planned the electrical system of the buildings for the project. I wonder how a person could find out such a thing.
I also remember him working at the Lawrence Livermore Lab. He may have worked there earlier in his life, but I know they asked him back to work on something later in his life. My understanding is that it had something to do with lasers.
Everything I just told you is speculation and hearsay. To me he was a friendly but intense man. He was loving, but also aloof. I remember being pinched a lot. He was as generous as he could be. A second wife apparently scammed him then took him for just about everything. I remember for my birthday he gave me underwear for a present as a practical joke. Then the real present was something cool. He did have a sense of humor. His dentures were always a source of entertainment.
He made good hamburgers.
I did not know my father's mother well. She died when I was 2 or 3. I have memories of her. A certain smell, always seemed to be dressed for a party. Hair done high. Not much more.
I'm sure my dad will read this and may fill in some blanks in the comments. That's part of the reason why I'm writing about it. There are a lot of blanks. At least for me. Happy birthday Grandpa.
