While I was a student, Dr. Ibrahim was one of the faculty members on my Master's Degree Committee.   We worked together on the design of the Cal Poly solar racing vehicle "Solar Flair" in the early 1990's.

Elhami enabled all the students to survive the rigors of academia, but also prepared them , in a sense, for work after the degree.  For example, he and I set up a solar panel manufacturing operation at Cal Poly which enabled the successes of that racing team.  The real-world excitement generated by the students for that program and series of succeeding projects helped to build leaders for our future industry.

The future engineers for Tesla and other electric car companies were spawned by that project and provide societal impacts even today.

Sorry to hear about Prof. Ibrahim's passing.

He was my control system instructor and I still what he taught us.

Dr. Ibrahim was an intelligent, generous and compassionate spirit.  At a time when I saw little hope and felt immensely devalued, he provided me the opportunity and affirmation to reclaim my self worth and once again have hope.  May you truly rest in peace.

I recently heard of the passing of Elhami.  I had the pleasure of working with him.  Elhami was a genuinely kind and humble man of great intelligence.  He will be missed by many. Heartfelt condolences are sent to his family.

I am sadden to learn of the passing of Elhami.  I had the pleasure of working with.  He was a genuinely kind and humble man of great intelligence.  He will be missed by many.

I was saddened to read that Dr. Ibrahim passed away.  He always welcomed me with a smile when I visited him in his office to ask a General Education question.  He also took a genuine interest in answering my question and made sure that I understood what he was explaining to me.  He was truly one of the kinest and giving people that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.  My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Dr. Ibrahim always greeted you with a smile. I was shocked to learn of his death while reading the Cal Poly Updates. I offer my condolences to his family.

I didn't know Dr. Ibrahim, but I knew his daughter Inga, who was an outstanding student in the English Department.  I offer my condolences to her family.

To Inga and your mom and her daughter, please accept my deepest condolences. Although I never met him but I know he was a great man. May he rest in peace.

I am very saddened by Elhami's death!I had the opportunity to hire him in 1985 when I was the ECE dept Chair. Dr. El Sawah recommended him. I was on vacation when Elhami passed away. I could not attend his memorial. I will surely miss him!!!!

I enjoyed working with Dr. Elhami.  He was a great leader and helped me during the difficult times I went through.  I will miss him a lot and may his soul rest in peace.

~Mary, Diamond Bar, California

Dr. Elhami Ibrahim was indeed a kind man.  He was always friendly towards me and always had a smile on his face even on days when I'm sure he was not having a good day. He will be missed.  May his soul rest in peace.

To you Nadia and your daughter and grandchildren.  My prayers are that the memories and cherished times will get you through this and to know that Elhami was truly appreciated in all he did here at Cal Poly.  I worked closely with him through the Research Office and was also appreciative of all he did for my friend Paula Sandoval.  He was a loving, loyal and genuine person and someone I relish knowing.  He and I shared moments talking about soccer and I can envision him with his soccer hat on. Life will go on but know that he made a definite change by just knowing him

Forever dedicated to students and the academic integrity of a university education. Will never forget you. Mrs Raymond C Daugherty

Elhami was a great mentor and teacher to me. He will be missed.

Our prayers go out to Nadia, Inga, granddaughter and Graham.  May you have comfort in your memories of Elhami.
We are very thankful for the time and friendship we shared with Nadia and Elhami.  

My first project with Elhami was to write a Textbook for non-electrical engineers on Instrumentation and controls.  We called it the lawyer book because we had 4 coauthors, Elhami Ibrahim, Frank Smith, Jerry Herder , and Chuck Savant.
Our next project was to obtain instrumentation for our instrumentation laboratory.  We went to the Kaiser Steel plant with Dr. Alan Felzer and filled my truck with instruments and sensors from the blast furnace.  
We needed a good place to put the instruments so we put together a successful National Science Foundation proposal along with Gerry Herder.  That still wasn't enough.  Some of our industrial partners told us the Rancho Seco Nuclear power plant was being closed down and they had lots of new equipment at 10 cent on the dollar.  Richard Cockrum submitted our bid and it was accepted.  So off we, Elhami Ibrahim, his wife Nadia, Richard Cockrum, Jerry Herder and myself hopped into my Bronco and off we went to Herald, California.  We spent the night in a motel and the next morning Elhami and Nadia went to rent a U-Haul truck while the rest of us went to the nuclear plant.  After a long day of dismantling and loading equipment and training panels we returned to Cal Poly.  Many months later the Instrumentation laboratory was commissioned with celebrities from the National Science Foundation in attendance.  Elhami was very proud of the instrumentation laboratory he had created.

This project was followed by another NSF grant to improve the laboratory.  Numerous technical papers were presented on the project, one was awarded best paper of the year.  It was presented at the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois.  Elhami, Nadia, Richard and me and my wife Donna spent several days there at the ASEE conference.  The ladies spent the days touring Urbana while we manned the poster session and presented our paper.
Elhami was very involved for many years with the Instrument Society of America student chapter and the LA Senior section which supported the Cal Poly Student Chapter.  ISA had student competitions in instrumentation and controls in which Elhami tutored the students in preparation for the completion.  The first one was held in Bakersfield.  Elhami and Nadia and I and Donna were chaperones.  This competition was followed by International Student Competitions at the Annual ISA Conferences.  Needless to say we won the competition that was held in Chicago at the McCormick Center with the same chaperones.  This conference also resulted in another Best Paper Award.  This was followed by three more winning years of student competitions.

I really enjoyed working with Elhami on our many consulting jobs, even if it was from 10 PM to 2 AM.  
Elhami was had a passion for playing chess.  He entered many tournaments and also enjoyed playing opponents over the internet. 
My wife and I enjoyed visiting with Elhami and Nadia while enjoying a delicious cup of Nadia's tea with a piece of baklava.
I have mentioned only a few of the many fond memories we have of Elhami.

We will miss him.

Gentleman, scholar and friend are the first words that come to my mind remembering Elhami. My earliest memories of our work together were with a large group of faculty who submitted an NSF proposal. Our proposal wasn't accepted that year, nor the year after but with Frank Smith and the support of Dick Cockrum we persevered and successfully submitted three NSF proposals with Elhami as the lead PI. Concurrently with Mike and Tina Shelton in Mechanical Engineering we developed and raced Cal Poly Pomona's first solar car from Orlando to Detroit. When I think of the arc of his life and the times he lived through I'm reminded of a story he told me about being with a group of students sent to the USSR by President Nasser. He never boasted or talked much about his accomplishments but he touched the lives of thousands of students and colleagues. I will forever be grateful for his friendship and collegiality.

Elhami was a gentleman who helped this faculty member through the challenges of starting a program new to CPP.  He was patient and kind.  You could always count on him.  He was the kindest individual at the University.  I will miss him.

I am saddened by the loss of my friend and collegue, Dr. Elhami Ibrahim. I have known him for many years at Cal Poly Pomona. He was both a gentleman and a gentle-man. He contributed much to my textbook over many editions. I remember the thoughful discussions we had about Cal Poly, the College of Engineering and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. He will be missed by us all. Condolences go out to his entire family from my wife and me.

I'm sorry for your loss.  My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.   Your father was a wonderful man.

It was one of the best experiences of my time at Cal Poly Pomona to work with Elhami on WASC between 1998 and 2003.  He was always gracious, dedicated to the benefit of the community, and open-minded, qualities rare in the vast bureaucracy.  He was a brilliant leader and tireless team player.  I had the pleasure of meeting his family, and I know that he treasured them above all things.  In his interesting life and long career, I am sure he always brought light and kindness into the lives of others.  He is gone way too soon.  He will be sorely missed.

We are grieving with the loss of Elhami, our friend, neighbor and  professional "buddy".  We will always remember his gentleness, his smiles of encouragement, his quiet enthusiasm, and his ever-ready-to-help spirit.  We had many academic adventures together and his role is the Dean's Office was a continuing inspiration for us to always work toward and expect excellence in ourselves and our school.  Few will know the key roles Elhami played in the design and construction of Building 17, but his input will be forever reflected there.  A wonderful teacher and leader, the world is less for his passing.

Elhami was a kind, considerate colleague who will be missed.

I worked very closely with Dr. Ibrahim while he was the College of Engineering Director of Graduate studies and Research.  His problem solving approach is a blend of peace and friendly gesture.  I truly miss this gentleman and may his soul RIP.

We convey our deepest condolences to the Ibrahim family on losing Elhami. 

    Elhami was an exemplary human being, good hearted, friendly, smart, knowledgeable, patient and an excellent  teacher. He was also a good friend to me and a guide when I joined the faculty many years ago.  

     May his memory be blessed and light the path of many people.

I am saddened to hear about Elhami's passing.  He and I worked together closely in Academic Affairs during an uneasy time at the University. Dr. Ibrahim was ethical, reliable and indispensable.  I enjoyed knowing and working with him.  He will be missed.

I met Dr. Ibrahim when I was a junior faculty member serving on an Academic Senate Committee. He was a kind and thoughtful man, and I greatly admired his humanity.

Lauren Bricker, Redlands, California

Dr. Ibrahim had great intelligence and generosity of mind and spirit.   His commitment to education ran deep.  I will remember wearing his ever-ready smile. I am lucky to have known him at Cal Poly Pomona.

We will miss him.  Our prayers are with the family. He was a great colleague who will be missed.

I feel privileged to have been a friend and colleague of Elhami. He was one of the best faculty members I have ever worked with.

We were good friends and I learned a lot from Elhami.  Most of all I truly enjoyed working with him.

Dear Inga,

I am so sorry to learn of the passing of your dear father.

You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. May the Lord comfort and strengthen you, your Mom, your daughter, and your family at this time of great loss and grieving. It is so hard to say goodbye to someone you have known, loved, and been loved by for your entire life.

I was fortunate to work with your father off and on over the years, sometimes under him and sometimes with him.  

His direct involvement with our Aerospace Engineering Department was instrumental in obtaining the WASC certification of our new graduate program in 2007.  I do not know anyone else who could have done as great a job as he did. 

In all our collaborations he was always very thoughtful, wise, and always a gentleman. He was like a Teddy Bear, so approachable.

May the Lord be near and dear to you and your family during this time of grieving. I will sorely miss your father.

Elhami was such a wonderful colleague. He was always ready with a smile and his smile was beautiful. I have fond memories of working with him at Cal Poly.

I first met Dr. Ibrahim when I interviewed for his assistant position in Academic Programs.  I was most fortunate that he hired  me.  He was the most intelligent individual I ever met.  The knowledge base I acquired while working for him has benefited my career at Cal Poly Pomona.  Whenever he talked about his students in Engineering, the love he had for teaching was evident in the light that came into his eyes.  Those of us that were able to work with him were very lucky.

Charlene Saunders
Assistant to the AVP for Research
Cal Poly Pomona

OBITUARY

Elhami Tawfik Ibrahim

30 September, 1942 – 15 December, 2014

Stone Funeral Home

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