Ryder, John Douglas, 1907-....

John (Jack) Douglas Ryder was born to John E. and Lucy Ryder in Columbus, Ohio, on 9 May 1907. He received his B.S. (1928) and M.S. (1929) in electrical engineering from Ohio State University. He received his Ph.D. (1944) from Iowa State University.

Ryder was first employed by General Electric from 1929 to 1931. He then worked for Bailey Meter Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, where he was in charge of the electronic research division from 1931 until 1941. While working there, he received twenty-four patents for automatic control applications of electronics and temperature measurement.

Ryder was hired as Assistant Professor (1941-1944) in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Iowa State University. He was promoted to Professor (1933-1949). Ryder served as Acting Head (1944-1946) of the Electrical Engineering Department and as Assistant Director (1947-1949) of the Iowa Engineering Experiment Station. At Iowa State, Ryder worked with Warren Boast to construct a high-frequency network analyzer.

In 1949, Ryder left Iowa State to become Professor and Head (1949-1931) of the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Illinois. Ryder then became Professor (1954-1972) and Dean (1954-1968) of the College of Engineering at Michigan State University. At Michigan State, Ryder reformed the engineering curriculum and, in 1963, supervised the construction of new building for the College of Engineering. Upon his retirement in 1973, Ryder became an advisor for the University of Florida-Central Florida Community College.

Ryder spoke and wrote prolifically on the subjects of engineering and education in engineering. Books authored by Ryder include Networks, Lines and Fields (1949); Electronic Fundamentals and Applications (1950); Electronic Engineering Principles (1952); and Engineering Electronics with Industrial Applications and Control (1957).

Ryder held membership and office in many professional associations and societies. He was a fellow of both the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He served as President (1953) of the National Electronics Conference, President (1955) of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE), President (1988-1989) of the American Society for Engineering Education, and Executive Vice President (1974) of IEEE. Ryder also served on the committee charged with forming IEEE by merging the Institute of Radio Engineeris (IRE) and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE). Ryder was accorded numerous honors and awards for engineering achievement and engineering education in his life, including being named to IEEE Centennial Hall of Fame in 1984.

Ryder married Sylvia MacCalla of Youngstown, Ohio. Together they had two children, Barbara and John. Ryder died on July 29, 1993.