Glenn C. Light ‘59

Glenn Charles Light, 85, of Los Angeles, CA, passed away on October 11, 2022, after a long battle with chronic lung disease. Glenn is survived by his wife, Ruth (Luce) Light, his daughter Bonnie Light, his son Jeff Light, his step-son Keith Almond, his brothers Don Light and  Rich Light, and his 9 grandchildren, Alexis, Liliana, Vivian, Jade, Quenton, Canyon, Orion, Collin, and Henry. He is predeceased by his sister Mardy (Light) Akers. A Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity brother at his alma mater, Cornell University, he was a spare on the undefeated Cornell Henley-on-Thames (England) World Championship rowing crew in 1957, and was elected Commodore (Captain) of the 1958  Crew.

He was a member of Quill and Dagger, Cornell’s senior men’s honorary society, and Tau Beta Pi, the engineering academic honorary society. He earned his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering in 1959, and Masters of Engineering in 1962. He met and married his first wife, Diane MacDonald at Cornell. After graduation, Glenn served as an officer in the army reserve in El Paso, TX, and after the military, Glenn and Diane moved to California and started their family. Glenn had a long and successful career at Aerospace Corporation, becoming an expert on lightning and its effects on missiles, and ending his career being a principal investigator for the Midcourse Space Experiment, also known as Star Wars. In 1993 he married his second wife, Ruth Luce, and they were married for 29 years before his passing. Glenn retired in 2000 and began to pursue his many interests. He enjoyed hiking in Mammoth Lakes. He loved biking along the CA coast.

Photography being a special interest, Glenn loved focusing on his grandchildren and their many activities. He even traveled to Oregon to photograph a solar eclipse.  His lifelong interest in psychology flourished during this time… and for 14 years he volunteered as a paraprofessional therapist at the Southern California Counseling Center.

      Glenn’s family and friends will miss his quiet and subtle sense of humor, his kind spirit, his dedication to family, and his open-minded outlook on life.