Classmate Edward (“Ned”) Engle passed on April 26, 2025.   

Ned was born on July 13th, 1942, in Oakland California. He grew up in Sacramento and graduated from McClatchy High School, where he was student body president  Ned spent many summers at his family’s cabin at Homewood, Lake Tahoe.

He graduated from Stanford University in 1964, receiving a BA in Asian History. He was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity where he developed lifelong, deep friendships. A highlight of his years at college was the year he spent in Florence, Italy. This stimulated his lifelong love of traveling abroad. After Stanford he went to Columbia University for his MBA. Then he came West and joined Kaiser Aluminum as an assistant treasurer. Ned was there for three years, mostly learning that he didn’t want to work for a big corporation.

During this period, he teamed with three other partners, working evenings and weekends, to start a college textbook publishing company in San Francisco. It was a struggle financially until they received some early round venture capital help. The company was acquired by a large publisher in 1972 so, Ned went to Europe for six months. He came back to become Publications Manager for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco – the deYoung, Legion of Honor, and Asian Art Museum. During this time, Ned became very interested in environmental issues and alternative energy. In 1975, he returned to Sacramento to produce publications for the Solar Office of the new California Energy Commission. In 1980, he came back to the Bay Area as chairman of the Business Administration Department at Dominican University in San Rafael. After 10 years, however, he took a one-year sabbatical to Europe. He never went back to Dominican, but his years there remained very happy memories.

In 1990, the Soviet Union and all Eastern European countries were realigning themselves and, in some cases, collapsing. Ned became interested in the economic, political, and environmental issues associated with the crumbling of the Russian Empire. He took a two-month hiking and camping trip through the White Sea area of Russia, with a small group of westerners who were the first allowed into that area since World War II. Coming home, Ned worked for a small nonprofit where he created 80 training programs for Russian entrepreneurs. They received grants to come to the US to study the business basics of their emerging enterprises.

In his later career, he consulted for corporations whose work interested him; built a spec house; worked with environmental organizations; built dry rock walls at Tahoe; and even tried to write a book. Didn’t get much farther than the dedication: “For Mom and Dad”. He also went fly fishing a lot; his destinations varied from Native American Reservations, to Scotland, British Columbia, the Yucatan, a ranch in Wyoming…and most happily on small streams in the Sierras. He was usually successful, catching enough trout to keep him at it.

There were other themes in his life, which mostly involved his good friends. Constants in Ned’s life were dogs and travel. His trips were called “Nedventures”. He particularly loved obscure places like Borneo, the Amazon, sub-Arctic Russia, remote Tuscan castles, and Burmese villages.

Ned was kind-hearted, generous, and open. Known for his quirky, wry sense of huor, his integrity, his curiosity, his deep friendships, his commitment to environmental stewardship, and his courage in the face of a rare, fatal, wasting disease – amyloid polyneuropathy – which, after five years, affected all his organs, tissues, and quality of life.

Survivors include many cousins and close friends; his partner, Celia; his caregiver, David; and his dog, Scout. In lieu of flowers, we suggest any donation be made to an environmental organization or hospice.