Richard Thomas Ashcroft
11/9/1934 - 5/18/2020 Resident of San Jose
Richard “Dick” Thomas Ashcroft passed away on May 18, 2020 at home at age 85. He was born on November 9, 1934 in Utica, NY, the son of Edwin and Ann Bogan Ashcroft. He graduated from Utica Free Academy and Clarkson College of Technology (now Clarkson University), Potsdam, NY in 1956 with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree. While in college, he met his future wife in 1954, Beverly Rita Trimm, a student at the State University of New York also located in Potsdam, NY. On July 6, 1957 they married in Malone, NY.
Upon graduation he joined Dupont Chemical Corporation in Niagara Falls, NY as an instrument engineer designing chemical process control systems. A year after joining Dupont, a huge rock slide destroyed the 25 cycle hydroelectric power generating station at the base of the Falls. The station powered most of the chemical plants then operating in Niagara Falls. He and two other electrical engineers were selected to convert the entire Dupont plant to the new 60 cycle hydro plant to be built by the State of New York and local utility companies. In 1960 he joined General Dynamics in Rochester, NY as a program administrator, advancing through various levels of engineering and marketing positions. In 1968 he joined Aydin Energy Systems in Palo Alto, CA as the Vice President of Marketing. In 1976 he was involved in forming Stanford Technology Corporation in Palo Alto, becoming their Vice President of International Marketing and moving his family to Geneva, Switzerland. From there he traveled extensively throughout Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. In 1979 he returned to San Jose and assumed the position of President of STC. In 1980 he spun out a product line that became International Imaging Systems, becoming its President until retiring in 1996.
An ROTC graduate from Clarkson, he served two tours of active duty in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, the first as an instructor in the Army Signal Corps, Fort Monmouth, NJ and the second as the Operations Officer in a Signal Company recalled to duty during the Berlin War Crisis. He was discharged in 1962 as a Captain.
Dick served on the Board of Directors of the Electronics Association of California and the American Electronics Association, where he was a member of their Executive Committee. He was a member of the Industrial Committee of the Santa Clara County United Way for three years, Chairman of the Board of the Santa Clara County Family Services Association, Board member of the western Regional Family Services Association and as a member of several high tech start-up companies in the Silicon Valley. He served a term as President of the Clarkson Alumni Association as well as a member of the University’s Board of Governors for several years. In 1991 he received the Clarkson Golden Knight Distinguished Alumni Award.
Dick is survived by his wife Beverly, a son Mark (Sandra) of Farmington Hills, MI; a daughter Pamela (Chris Cotterel) of San Jose, CA, a daughter in law, Julie Ashcroft of Cary, NC; a brother James (Doris) Ashcroft of Marcy, NY; ten grand-children and 14 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents, a sister Theresa Roy of Fulton, NY, a brother Jeremiah of Charleston, SC, a daughter Catherine Ann Mcmahan of Santa Rosa, CA and a son Thomas Michael of Leominster, MA.
Due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions no funerals are permitted. A small service was held in the Memorial Garden at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in San Jose CA on May 28, 2020.