Richard Lawrence Julian

Richard (Dick) Julian has passed away after a years-long decline due to Alzheimer’s disease.

He was born to Renne and Marguerite Julian in New Jersey, the middle of three children, and grew up in Pacific Palisades, California where as a teen he was involved in ballroom dancing, hiking, climbing and scouting and attained the rank of Eagle Scout. He graduated from Palisades High and continued on to a 5-year joint program between Claremont McKenna College (then Claremont Men’s College) and Stanford University, which led to a Bachelor’s degree in Business and a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford. While at Stanford he met his future wife, Jana, and when she moved to Los Angeles for graduate school they married. In L. A. they welcomed their two children, Christopher and Anne, and eventually relocated to Santa Barbara.

Early in his career Richard found employment at Hughes Aircraft, having worked there in summer positions during college. He continued working for the same employer when he moved to its subsidiary, Santa Barbara Research Center (SBRC and SBRS). There he specialized in geostationary satellite imagery, contributing to many significant earth imaging projects including the Thematic Mapper, Landsat 7 and NPOESS VIIRS. As an analytical thinker, he enjoyed problem solving with other clever and dedicated people. He retired as Senior Engineering Fellow.

Richard was introduced to photography by his father while still in high school, and in college was given the opportunity to attend an Ansel Adams workshop and became a dedicated and skilled photographer. His interest in the beauty of natural settings drove much family travel with cameras and tripod in tow. He also knew his way around a wood shop, a tool shop, a metal shop and a wet darkroom and, of course, he could wire anything. His passion for classical music is shared by Jana and his two children, and with his wife he shared a lifelong interest in recreational and performance folk dance. He also loved sharing the joys of scientific thinking with others and inspired both his children to work in science. He prioritized informing himself about politics, government, ethics, history and other topics and read extensively to that end.

Early retirement gave him opportunities to travel and photograph, including trips to Scotland and Peru, although his favorite destinations remained Yosemite, Death Valley and Four Corners. In retirement he welcomed his grandchildren Evan and Henry, who brought him much delight.

As his illness began to manifest, his life narrowed, and in his last year of life we are grateful to staff at Villa Alamar for keeping him engaged, safe and comfortable.

Richard is survived by his wife of 52 years, Jana, his son Christopher (Katie) and daughter Anne, his siblings Bruce Julian (Gillian Foulger) and sister Carey Julian (Tom Miller), grandsons Evan and Henry, and six nieces and nephews.

Interment will be private and a celebration of life will take place at a later date.

In Richard’s memory, please raise a glass, join hands and dance, or share a joke in lieu of flowers. His generous spirit and wry sense of humor will be sorely missed, and although Jana and the kids mourn his loss, they are grateful to have had such a kind, loving and joyful husband and father. We will miss you, Richard.