In memoriam, Vincent C. Rideout, 1914–2003

Vincent Rideout (17K JPG)

Vincent C. Rideout, age 89, of Madison, died peacefully in his sleep on Monday, July 28, 2003, at Attic Angels Health Center, after a courageous 15-year battle with cancer. Born on the prairies of Alberta, Canada, in 1914, he was the eldest child of Clarence and Amber Rideout. In 1939 he married his life partner, Gertrude; they had four sons, Leo, Chester, Raymond and Darryl. After graduating from high school he attended Calgary Normal School for teacher training. He subsequently taught in a one-room country school in Alberta that had 2-3 students in each grade. He earned his BS in engineering physics from the University of Alberta in 1938 (with distinction), and spent his junior year at McGill University in Montreal from 1936-37, on an exchange fellowship. Lacking the money to buy a bus or train ticket, he rode in railroad boxcars to get from Alberta to Quebec and back.

He received an MS degree in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1940, where he received a Drake Fellowship. During World War II he did research on microwave radar and relay systems at Bell Telephone Laboratories in New Jersey. Later industrial experience included consulting work at Allis Chalmers, Cutler-Hammer and IBM. He worked as a visiting research engineer at Boeing Airplane Co. in the summer of 1951. He moved to Madison in 1946 and taught in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering until his retirement in 1983. He was chairman of the department from 1972-76. His 1954 textbook, "Active Networks," was widely used in electrical engineering classrooms in colleges and universities throughout the United States and the world.

From 1954-55 he and his family lived in Bangalore, India, where he helped to build India's first analog computer at the Indian Institute of Science. In the years that followed he frequently traveled in connection with his work: He was a visiting professor at the Universities of Colorado and Hawaii, and a visiting scientist at the Institute of Medical Physics in Holland.

At age 50 he began studying medicine, physiology and anesthesiology. He subsequently began research in biomedical engineering, including cardiovascular simulation and modeling. He developed an international reputation in this new field, and his 1991 book, "Mathematical and Computer Modeling of Physiological Systems," was a pioneering publication. The college now has a Department of Biomedical Engineering.

During his tenure at the UW-Madison he received numerous honors, awards and grants, including the Benjamin Smith Reynolds Award for excellence in teaching engineers. Thirty electrical and computer engineering doctoral students graduated under his tutelage. He was a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

As he approached retirement he took up watercolor painting. He was an active painter for most of the rest of his life, and had a prodigious output. His paintings have been exhibited in University Hospital and other locations. He also enjoyed photography, tennis, golf and hiking, and was a member of the Elks Club, Rotary Club and the Madison Watercolor Society. He will be remembered for his integrity, intelligence and good humor.

He is survived by his sons, Chester B. (Eleanor) Rideout of Berthoud, Colo., Raymond L. (Rocio) Rideout of Madison, and Darryl C. (Elizabeth) Rideout of San Diego; and six grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, Chester F. (Pat) Rideout of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was preceded in death by his wife of more than 60 years, Gertrude Rideout; and his oldest son, Vincent Leo (Trudy) Rideout.

Memorial gifts, to be used for scholarships to the UW-Madison College of Engineering, may be made to:

The Professor Vincent C. Rideout Scholarship Fund
University of Wisconsin Foundation
PO Box 8860, Madison WI 53708