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Daniel Kenge Uyemura ’68

A picture of Daniel Uyemura

(Left to right) Matthew E. Smith ’66, James W. Bell Jr. ’66, Larry M. Kuehn ’66, Jan Mainwaring (an infirmary nurse at Reed), Daniel Uyemura ’68, and Jay M. Hubert ’66 in 1962.

Daniel Kenge Uyemura ’68, January 28, 2011, in Anguilla, West Indies, from respiratory disease. Dan was born in Denver, Colorado, and moved with his family to Ontario, Oregon, where he attended high school, graduating as valedictorian. At Reed, he earned a BA in physics, and completed a dual-degree program at Columbia University in electrical and electronic engineering. After graduation, he moved to College Park, Maryland, where he worked for Antenna Associates and enrolled in the MBA program at the University of Maryland. He met Jane Vielhaber in Maryland and they married in 1968. In 1972, he joined the Amecom Division of Litton Industries and later became vice president for engineering. His 30-year technical career at Amecom included design of antennas carried on the Apollo space missions, and he also was responsible for development of classified defense projects and government contracts. Dan and Jane loved to race their sailboat Shogun on the Chesapeake Bay. They also enjoyed sailing vacations throughout the Caribbean. In retirement, they sold their home in Maryland and purchased a home on the shore in Anguilla. In Dan's public obituary, we read: “Despite having to survive a hurricane in the protection of a bathtub, and the frequent breakdown of electronics caused by the tropic air, the couple loved Anguilla, its idyllic setting, and constant 80-degree temperature.” We also learned that Dan was a voracious reader, often reading five or six books a week on any number of topics. On the patio of his home in Anguilla, Dan could see the island of St. Martin, seven miles away, while he read. Survivors include his wife and brother. We thank Jay Hubert ’66 for notifying the college of Dan's death and for providing details for this memorial.

Appeared in Reed magazine: June 2011

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