John Raithel Hind, 65, died peacefully surrounded by his family on Wednesday, February 15, 2012. He had put up a long and valiant fight against cancer. Born in Evanston, Illinois in 1946, he was the beloved son of John Dwight Hind and Luella Raithel Hind.
John grew up in Richmond, Virginia. He was graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1971 with a BS in Electrical Engineering. In 1973 he obtained a Master's of Science in Electrical Engineering with a specialty in Computer Science and Applications also from VPI. He was in the first (and very small) class of this newly created specialty. At the time, Computer Science was only just beginning to emerge into the academic mainstream.
He is survived by his daughter Laura Lindsay Hind, his daughter’s beloved guide dog Apollo who loved John and kept vigil to the end, his sister Eleanor Hind Smith of Portland, Maine, sister–in-law Martha Clark Goss of Hopewell, New Jersey, and lifelong friends M. Johns Gray III of Richmond, VA and Thomas Gee of Clifton, Virginia. His beloved wife of 33 years, Virginia Clark Hind, passed away in July of 2010.
John had a lifelong interest in electronics that evolved into computer software development that led to a 35-year career at IBM during which he became a Senior Programmer, was recognized as a “Master Inventor” and received over 200 patents. Approximately half were international patents. In December 2010 he received the “Thirty-Second Plateau Invention Achievement Award” from IBM. When John was much younger, he worked as a consultant for the Navy and helped salvage a computer system that had stumped 19 prior “experts”. After 6 months, he got it working and then told the Navy to scrap it and start fresh. It was a testament to his brilliance and stubbornness.
He had an extraordinary capacity to put the technical and the complex into intelligible English. Despite his capabilities, John was always approachable and willing to assist others both professionally and personally.
John was always interested in the future and its vast possibilities, a trait that soon led him to the speculative world of science fiction. He was an avid fan of Star Trek, attending numerous of its conventions with his daughter Laura and his best friends Tom Gee and Johns Gray.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 2 PM in the Mausoleum Chapel of Raleigh Memorial Park.
Flowers will be accepted, however, memorials may be made to the ASPCA or a charity of one's choice in memory of John.
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