D. Ridgely (Ridge) Bolgiano, former Vice President, Research, and Chief Scientist at InterDigital and longtime member of its Board of Directors, passed away on October 3, 2015. Ridge was a scientist, engineer, inventor and relentlessly creative mind who helped found and grow what has become an almost $2 billion publicly traded company, owned and operated a network of radio stations, made enormous contributions to his alma mater, and lived a unique life.
At InterDigital, Ridge helped pioneer many of the developments that launched the mobile device industry, which today totals $3 trillion in value around the world. Ridge invented several of the company’s key products (one of which is on part of the Museum of Modern Art permanent collection) and contributions to mobile, and pioneered the company’s licensing program. Ridge was Vice President, Research, and Chief Scientist at InterDigital until his retirement in 2008, served on the company’s Board of Directors until 2009 and was inducted into InterDigital’s Hall of Fame in 2006. For InterDigital and its predecessor companies, he is a named inventor in 25 issued patents in the United States and over 100 more patents and applications worldwide.
Ridge graduated from Haverford College with a degree in physics, specializing in Radio Frequency Transmission and Propagation. In addition to his work as a scientist and engineer, he owned and operated several radio stations (Key Broadcasting) in the Philadelphia area.
“Not only did Ridge make very lasting contributions to InterDigital, but he helped establish some of the basic technologies that underpin the mobile industry today,” said William Merritt, President and CEO of InterDigital. “We are deeply saddened by this loss and offer his family and friends our sincerest condolences.”