Boris Ragent

Boris Ragent, atmospheric physicist and a principal investigator on several major NASA missions died at home in San Mateo on August 9th. He was 97 years old. As part of NASA’s Galileo and Pioneer nephelometer teams, Boris developed instruments to measure the atmospheres of both Jupiter and Venus. The data collected on these missions is still vital to the science today.

He was the recipient of multiple honors and awards, including the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, and was the author of close to one hundred articles. One NASA colleague wrote that Boris had been a “model of scientific integrity,” in the workplace.

Born into a Yiddish speaking household, Boris was a proud son of Cleveland, a fact that children and grandchildren were reminded of on a frequent basis. He was a WWII veteran who attended Marquette, the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, and the Ohio State University before earning his Ph.D in Physics at Cal. While a graduate student at Cal, Boris met and married Dorothy Kohn, a Cal graduate working in the library there. They settled in San Mateo in 1956 where they raised three sons.

Boris was an avid fisherman, who told his boys that in order to catch a fish you had to “think like a fish.” One son recently revealed that Boris took his own advice a step too far some years ago by falling out of the fishing boat into the Sacramento Delta. While climbing back in his only concern was whether the fish was still on the line!

Boris and Dorothy traveled widely, were great fans of the San Francisco Symphony and Ballet, and had a very dedicated social circle at home, which included Eichler tract neighbors, fellow scientists, and friends. Together they created a community of kindness and caring for others - all with profound modesty, great generosity of spirit, and witty repartee.

Post-retirement the multilingual Boris spent many years as a much-beloved volunteer for Travelers Aid at SFO. To the very end of his life he kept detailed track of all family members, with a special focus on family travels. Arrival at home always meant the requisite phone call to make sure that everyone had arrived safe and sound.

Boris is survived by his wife of 72 years, Dorothy, sons David, Larry and Jesse and their spouses April, Rhonda and Alison, grandchildren Sarah, Josh, Jeremy, Mia and Zachary Ragent, and two great-grandchildren. He truly loved his family. A heart as big as the universe has departed, but a superior spirit lives on.

Services have been held. Donations in Boris’ name may be made to the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, or Americans United for Separation of Church and State.