Honoring a Lifelong Passion for Physics

Mike Klein at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park on New Year's Day, 2025.

The family of alumnus Mike Klein ensures his legacy by endowing a scholarship in his name.

A successful entrepreneur and engineer in the semiconductor industry, Michael "Mike" F. Klein (BS '79) was also a lifelong admirer of all things physics. When Mike passed away last November, his family chose to honor his memory with a scholarship in his name for undergraduates with demonstrated financial need and with a preference for Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy (PMA) students.

Mike's love of science sparked in high school when he built his own six-foot-tall telescope. His efforts included grinding the glass by hand to make the curved mirror which brings objects into focus. His science journey led him to Caltech where he was admitted as an astronomy major but would eventually switch to electrical engineering. After graduating from Caltech, he earned a PhD in electrical engineering from UC Berkeley.

"That telescope got him into Caltech," says his wife of over 43 years, June Rumiko Klein, vice president and chief financial officer of the Fielding Graduate University. "We moved it from house to house for 30 years until it finally fell apart." It was in fact that very same homemade telescope that Mike showed June the moon and distant planets on one of their very first dates. They were married just nine months later.

June turned to Mike's longstanding friends from his Blacker House days for guidance on endowing a scholarship in his name. At a New Year's Eve gathering, she asked his former classmates to what academic area should a scholarship support. "They said 'Of course physics,'" she recalls.

Her gift of $100,000 establishes the Michael F. Klein Scholarship.

Mike and June at his PhD graduation in 1985.

DIY Enthusiast

After graduation, Mike entered the semiconductor industry during a period of intense competition and booming growth. He worked on four generations of SPARC processors during his time at Sun Microsystems and then helped lead VLSI design during his time at Chromatic Research, Velio Communications, and Pixim. He also was a co-founder and chief technology officer for a company specializing in technical strategies for an emerging "Internet of Things" business and an investor leveraging quantitative methods for stock selection. He returned to his engineering roots to improve how manufacturers control the quality of liquids in chemical mechanical planarization, essential for creating a smooth, flat surface for silicon wafers.

What wasn't on Mike's professional resume, according to June, was his "Do It Yourself" skills. His engineering capabilities and creativity in modifying all things was a common theme in their personal lives—from serving as the de facto general contractor on the remodel of their home in Palo Alto, including installing the CAT5 wiring under the house, to reconfiguring their Viking stove to maximize heat for pizza making. Unfortunately the stove was not designed to exceed 550 degrees, and Mike proudly measured the temperature at 750 degrees. The oven's glass window on the door subsequently shattered due to sustained overheating.

Later, after Mike's death, June turned to Caltech friends once again to help with the home's email server which had been managed solely by Mike. At one point, her home was filled with engineers trying to figure out his DIY systems.

Asking Good Questions

Mike's DIY tendencies extended to cars as well. He loved fast cars, says his wife, and he maintained all his cars himself. When it came time for their children, Erica and Alexander, to drive, Mike made sure they learned the science behind it. "He insisted that everyone in the family understand the physics of speed and direction in a curve," June says. "They all had to 'go to the track' to learn how to drive."

The Klein family at Alexander's high school graduation in 2008.

Not one to miss an opportunity to learn himself, Mike celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with a bucket-list trip for he and June to the Galápagos Islands. They also attended many Caltech alumni events over the years, including Caltech Alumni Entrepreneurship Group monthly meetings, Silicon Valley lunches, and numerous seminars and lectures.

By far, says June, his favorite events were the annual Physics Salons featuring visiting Caltech faculty and hosted by alumni Beatrice (BS '80) and Sai-Wai (BS '79, MS '80) Fu. Ahead of the events, Mike would spend weeks studying the specific salon topic.

According to June, Mike's favorite physicist was Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman. June shared her husband's admiration for the longtime Caltech professor of physics and noted author and storyteller. She especially appreciated his ability to explain physics to lay audiences. "It's so much harder to explain to people who don't already know the topic," says June.

One day, she found Mike watching black-and-white videos of some of Feynman's lectures on YouTube in the family room. She asked him what he was doing and why he looked stressed.

"I'm going to one of Beatrice and Sai-Wai's salons," June recalls her husband's response. Her incredulous reply: "You're studying for an event?" To which her husband, a self-described life-long learner, said: "I have to be able to ask good questions."

To learn how you can contribute to the Michael F. Klein Scholarship, please contact Kyle Hines at (626) 395-8802 or kyle.hines@caltech.edu.