Dr. Raghupathy Bollini, age 80, died on August 13, 2022 in Austin, Texas. He leaves behind Saila Rani, his wife of 54 years, his daughters Lakshmi (Alain Gueneau), and Subhashini (Frank Ruggiero), and his step-granddaughter Helen Ruggiero, as well as his brothers, Srinivasa Rao and Hari, and many beloved family members.
Raghu was born in Chennai (then Madras), India, to Manavala Choudhry and Padmavati, the second of their three sons. He completed his secondary schooling by age 14 and went on to study at Guindy Engineering College, where he earned a degree in electrical engineering in 1962. After teaching at Osmania University and working at Heavy Engineering Corporation of India, Raghu began graduate studies at Purdue University in 1966, earning an MSEE and a PhD.
Raghu was a founding faculty member when he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE) in 1973 as an assistant professor. He found his calling as an educator and remained at SIUE for 26 years. Raghu had great respect for his students, many of whom excelled in their profession, including those who became his colleagues as SIUE faculty. After becoming Department Chair, Raghu was determined to grow the School of Engineering into an institution that would attract and educate generations of innovators from the local community and around the world. He retired from SIUE in 1999 as Chair of the recently established Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and was proud to return in 2000 to celebrate the School of Engineering's move into a brand-new building. He served from 1999–2004 as Dean of the Technology and Engineering Center at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Burlington County College. Although Raghu became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1977, he retained his love for India and hoped he could contribute to the betterment of his native land. He served two academic years as a distinguished guest lecturer at Chaitanya Bharati Institute of Technology and Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology in Hyderabad, India.
An early champion of what came to be known as STEM education, Raghu spent numerous hours mentoring his students and even tutoring neighbors' children, whom he hoped might someday love math. He established the Raghupathy and Sailarani Bollini Endowed Scholarship at SIUE, which ensures scholarships for computer or electrical engineering students, with preference given to those with financial need as well as first-generation college students.
Raghu was a devoted father to his two daughters, teaching them the fundamentals of mathematics, bicycle riding, lawn care, gardening, and DIY home and auto maintenance. What he couldn’t teach them himself was the arts, so he shuttled them to weekly violin and piano lessons, group classes, and rehearsals for years.
Raghu and Saila moved in 2013 to Austin, Texas, where they enjoyed welcoming family and friends into their home. Raghu enjoyed making milky South Indian coffee and would happily serve a third or fourth cup to anyone who asked. He was thrilled to reconnect with colleagues from SIUE and his fellow Guindy alums, whom he counted as dear friends.
Because Raghu was a remarkably fit and energetic 80-year-old, his cancer diagnosis in November 2021 came as a shock. He spent the winter and early spring undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma, which appeared to have been in remission. However, a large secondary tumor was discovered in his brain in late May, and he spent his last months battling this disease with the extraordinary care and support of Saila and his medical team.
For those who wish to honor Raghu Bollini, his family asks that in lieu of flowers they contribute to the scholarship fund he established http://www.siue.edu/give-now/bollini, or to the American Cancer Society http://main.acsevents.org/goto/Raghu_Bollini in his memory.
A prayer service for Raghupathy will be held Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 10:00 AM at Cook-Walden Funeral Home, 6100 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78752.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cookwaldenfuneralhome.com for the Bollini family.
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