RICHARD WORTHINGTON LIGDA		Born: 1947-01-22
Father: MYRON GEORGE HERBERT LIGDA		Mother: EVELYN DALKE
Children: none
Siblings: VALORIE JEAN LIGDA

Richard was the only son and first child born to Herb and Evelyn Ligda.  He recalls fondly his first home in Lincoln, Massachusetts near Sandy Pond in the woods.  He enjoyed walks outdoors in a setting he described as “intensely beautiful,” particularly in the autumn when the leaves turned.  In 1954, his family moved to College Station, Texas, their home for the next four years.  Richard recalls that he enjoyed swimming and playing in the woods and that he had lots of friends.

In 1958, the family moved to Los Altos, California.  Richard attended Awalt High School in Mt. View.  He was a serious student and particularly gifted in mathematics. ¹  While in school, with his father’s help, he assembled a preamplifier for a phonograph-stereo system.  He developed a strong interest in chess and studied the Russian chess masters.  He became a tournament player against visiting chess clubs.  Richard graduated from high school on June 17, 1965.

In 1966, after qualifying for radar repair tech school, Richard joined the Air Force.  He was in the service when his father died in 1967.  He served in Thailand during the Viet Nam War.  He was later stationed in Kansas.  In 1969, while still on active duty, Richard enrolled at Wichita State University, commuting 120 miles a week on a motorcycle to complete a half-time academic load.  After his honorable discharge in 1970, he continued as a full time student, majoring in mathematics and minoring in physics.  He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1973.

Richard returned to California in 1974.  He lived at home with his mother in Los Altos.  He worked a few months, then returned to school, taking solid-state electronic courses at Foothill College and a correspondence course in communications electronics from Cleveland Institute of Electronics.  He earned a certificate of completion from C. I. E. in 1976.  He continued his education at Foothill College until 1984 when he earned his Associate of Science degree in electronics technology.  He finished two Heathkit electronics microprocessor courses by 1987.

In 1976, Richard began work as a production electronics technician for small startup companies.  He moved out of his mother’s home and began: “renting expensive apartments in Sunnyvale and Milpitas,”  coming home regularly to visit his mother and his sister Val’s family.  He is listed in the 1980 City Directory as living and working in Sunnyvale, California.  In 1988, he was living at 284 Corning Avenue in Milpitas.  In 1991, he moved to 181 Weddell Drive, Apt. 41, in Sunnyvale.  In 1997, he moved to 515 South Main Street, Apt. 10, in Milpitas.

By 1994, Richard had been working six years at Digital Link Corporation in Sunnyvale, California.  But the job he held became obsolete as microprocessors became more complex and the defense needs were reduced with the end of the Cold War.  In April, he was released.  He went to work for Denron, Inc. in San Jose in 1995 doing cable assembly work.  After eight months, he was promoted to Cable Inspector, a job he held until June, 1997 when his job was eliminated during a business slowdown.  In October, 1997, he went to work with Pantronix Corporation in Fremont as an integrated circuit test operator.  In working with many Mexican and Asian immigrants, Richard observed that he learned to understand about half of what is said in Spanish and Vietnamese.

Richard describes himself as a “dedicated bachelor since 1980.”  In a letter in 1997, he commented: “Marriage should be a result of prosperity, enabled by profit from struggles.  I have realized neither enough profit for nor a desire for marriage, not to mention children.  Still, I see a need for nonmarriage family relations.  They offer emotional support.”  He is active in computer and tournament chess, earning a “B” rating in 1994.  He is active in Heathkit electronics and computer courses, and enjoys crossword puzzles, having completed over 100 New York Times Sunday Puzzles.