Mitchell Balogh Bain
April 19, 1927-June 18, 2011
Philadelphia, PA

Mitchell Balogh Bain, formerly of Grass Valley and Mountain View, CA, died on June 18, 2011 in Phoenixville, PA. He was 84. Born in Los Angeles to a chess champion mother and film director father, Mitchell spent his childhood in New York City and Miami, Florida. When he was seventeen, he left high school to join the U.S. Navy at the end of World War II. Following the war, he and his new bride, the former Jean Wallace, moved to Pasadena, CA, where Mitchell attended and graduated from the California Institute of Technology with a degree in Physics. He spent his career as an electrical engineer, working on projects related to space exploration and the development of computer technology, specializing in the design of computer chips and networking hardware. Upon his retirement in 1992, he continued to pursue his love of science and technology by becoming a volunteer educator at NASA Ames Aerospace Encounter in Mountain View, the Explorit Science Center in Davis, and the Gold Country Community Center in Grass Valley. He conceived and managed the ?Sixth Grade Challenge,? an ongoing community event to raise funds for public schools and the community center in Grass Valley. Throughout his life, Mitchell also indulged his love of the outdoors by backpacking in the Sierras, sailing, scuba diving, and glider flying with friends and family. Mitchell Bain is survived by daughters Karen Almich of San Clemente, CA, Deborah Bain (Joel Young) of San Francisco, Lisa Bain (Garrett Hughes) of Elverson, PA, and Julie Jeffs of Nashville, TN; grandchildren Joshua Skaroff, Brendan Jeffs, Jennifer Dowler, Caitlin Jeffs, Noah Skaroff, Ryan Almich, Andrew Young, Christopher Almich, and Hallie Young; and great grandson Kaden Dowler.

Tags: veteran, teacher/educator, public service