Ralph Metcalfe, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Houston, passed away peacefully on June 19. Metcalfe was born on October 15, 1946, in the small Oregon town of Dallas, population roughly 4,000. He grew up in Seattle, where his father was an engineer at Boeing. He graduated from the University of Washington, majoring in Mathematics, and then went to graduate school at MIT where he received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics. After MIT, Metcalfe worked as a research scientist with the fluid flow research group at Flow Research in Seattle, where his research focused on computational fluid dynamics.
In 1987, he came to UH, where he taught for 35 years and conducted impactful research focusing on thermofluids and computational fluid mechanics, with various applications including bioengineering and the simulation of blood flows. He worked with the Texas Heart Institute, the Houston Methodist Research Institute and the Baylor College of Medicine to help with the development of artificial heart pumps, cerebral aneurysm treatments and stents. His Computational Fluid Dynamics classes often involved biomedical engineering students whose term projects required blood flow simulations. For a number of years he participated in the NIH proposal review study sessions on cardiovascular devices.
Metcalfe loved teaching, and he was so proud of all his students and the positive impact he hoped he had on their lives and work. He enjoyed serving as faculty advisor to the Mechanical Engineering Student Honor Society and as an Honors advisor to students in Mechanical Engineering. He also enjoyed serving as a consultant to Endothelix, a local biomedical business developing a non-invasive vascular reactivity testing device. Metcalfe also worked on simulations of flow in elastomeric seals in conjunction with Kalsi Engineering, where a number of his students’ research was supported and they then became permanent employees.
Metcalfe was deeply fond of his nine nieces and nephews, 18 grandnieces and grandnephews (and one great-grandnephew), and loved spending time with all of them. He enjoyed family gatherings and trips and travels with them, and he hoped he had a positive impact on their lives as well. He felt very fortunate to have a love of music instilled in him from an early age and studied piano with a wonderful teacher in Seattle. He continued his love of music and enjoyed informal musical sessions with a number of talented students in Mechanical Engineering over the years. In recent years, Ralph and his wife enjoyed extensive travel to a number of places.
After having been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer 14 months ago, Metcalfe felt fortunate that he was able to receive outstanding care at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He was able stay active and enjoy local friends and events, and to still travel to see family and friends on the east and west coasts. He took a trip to London and returned on the Queen Mary with nine relatives in December, and had two shorter cruises in recent months.
He was able to enjoy music up through his final days thanks to the talented music therapist who brought music right to his room at the Palliative and Supportive Care Unit at MD Anderson, and even provided a keyboard in his room for his visiting nephew to play. The skilled, comforting and compassionate staff at the MD Anderson Palliative and Supportive Care Unit, and at the nearby Houston Hospice where he spent his last few days, and much love from surrounding family, made Ralph’s passing as peaceful as possible. He felt so grateful to have been born and lived at the best possible time and to have been able to enjoy wonderful friends, family and colleagues, and a fulfilling career.
Metcalfe is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Virginia (Ginger), and his sister Lynn LaVine, and predeceased by his parents, Kenneth and Margaret Metcalfe, and his brother Alan Metcalfe.
John H. Lienhard, author and voice of The Engines of Our Ingenuity, is Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering and History at the University of Houston. He worked closely with Ralph and shared the following words.
I knew and worked with Ralph during his entire life after he moved to UH from Seattle. And I held him in very high regard. His insatiable curiosity was so much fun to be around. Present him with any technical conundrum and you were in for a wild ride.
Ralph’s office was near the door of the ME Department. So, every time I entered or left, I passed it. And when I did, it was problematic: Would I pop in with today’s query or not? If I did, I would not leave until we’d turned it about in the light and shaken out it’s many meanings. Of course, his students were likewise exposed to this constant quest for new knowledge and new meanings of old knowledge. Ralph represented the very core of what is meant by the term, liberal education. The unwillingness to just take “Yes” for an answer.
Another quality: Disagreeing with Ralph did not mean an end to friendship. Of course, good people disagree. And Ralph seemed incapable of harboring anger or a grudge. Most of us have a mean streak somewhere. But, if Ralph did, none of us could never find it.
And then, there was music. Some of my most animated conversations with Ralph were about music — structure, meaning, the way it acted upon us. He was an enthusiastic pianist, and he loved high quality pipe organs. He soon identified the many musical talents of our students and faculty. Then he and Ginger arranged musicales at their home with these people performing.
Behind all of this was an amazing intelligence. An ability to find meaning in strange places. And to elicit the best in all of us — staff , students, faculty — around him. Damn, I will miss him.
Aishwarya Mantha earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Cullen, with Metcalfe serving as her advisor.
Professor Metcalfe was a brilliant scientist and an extraordinary mentor. His guidance shaped my research in computational fluid dynamics applied to cardiovascular and neurovascular systems, and his belief in both intellectual rigor and human kindness left a lasting mark on me. He cared for his students in ways few professors do, with quiet generosity, deep empathy, and a genuine commitment to their growth as scholars and people. I owe much of my academic identity and career to his unwavering support.
Karolos Grigoriadis is the current chair of Cullen’s Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, and a longtime colleague of Ralph.
I consider myself incredibly lucky and privileged to have spent 25 years in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Houston with Ralph as a colleague. A true tour de force of intellect and wit, there was never a dull moment when Ralph was around.
A brilliant conversationalist, he was equally at ease discussing the intricacies of fluid mechanics, the beauty of classical music, the richness of culture, or the mysteries of the cosmos. His sharp insights, humor, and boundless enthusiasm enriched every exchange and left a lasting impression on all of us. He will be deeply missed.
The Cullen College of Engineering extends its deepest condolences to Dr. Metcalfe’s family, friends, colleagues, and former students.