Obituary of M. Essam Badawi

Sam Badawi 1938-2016 M. Essam "Sam" Badawi passed away peacefully in his Scotts Valley home on May 4, 2016. His globe spanning life began in 1938 in Cairo, Egypt. He grew up attending the English School Cairo and graduated from Ain Shams University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Sam's father was a prominent government official and, in the connection-driven world of that time, he could have done very well for himself by staying in Egypt. Sam, however, insisted on making his own way and, from his early years, dreamed of doing so in America. It was difficult to emigrate in Nasser's Egypt and one of the only ways to do so was to gain admission to a foreign university. After turning down offers to study at European and Russian universities, Sam was thrilled to get an opportunity to do graduate work in engineering at San Jose State. Silicon Valley was a fortuitous place for an electrical engineer to find himself in the mid-1960s. Sam soon entered the semiconductor industry and would work in the technology business for nearly fifty years. More importantly, those circumstances put him on Treasure Island in 1969. It was there, at a wedding, where he met Donna, his wife of almost 47 years. As they often told their children, "when you know, you know." And they knew; the wedding was a few months later. His work with National Semiconductor took Sam and Donna to Munich, Germany for five years, where their sons, Adam and Rick, were born. After two years in Paris they returned to California for their children's formative years. They settled in Scotts Valley, where they have lived since 1979. Soon after they moved back, their third son, Ramsey, was born. Following a dozen years at National Semiconductor, Sam established two successful venture capital funds and worked more recently with local companies Ellipsys and Perceptia. His cosmopolitan life, gregarious nature, and appreciation for the finer things made Sam many friends. He loved to discuss ideas and politics and always did so with an open mind. One would need one to have been both the Chairman of the Santa Cruz County Republican Party—which actually exists—and the host of an Obama fundraiser. While most knew him as the chivalrous gentleman that he was, he retained the fiery passion of his native Egypt. There are some under qualified Little League umpires, inept housing contractors, and drivers who dawdled in the fast lane who learned something about that. But that passion came through most directly in his utter devotion to his family. He relished providing for them and ensuring that they flourished. He was happiest when having a spirited debate about the issues of the day around the family dinner table. It is there that he will be missed most. His family wishes to thank Sam's friends at the Santa Cruz Bridge Club, SCORE—where he mentored budding entrepreneurs—and many other members of the Santa Cruz community for their gracious support as his health declined. He is survived by his beloved wife Donna, his sons Adam, Rick, and Ramsey, his sisters Enan and Totsy, his daughter-in-law Jooyeon Kong (Adam), his brother-in-law Gerry, many relatives in Egypt and elsewhere, and a grandson who is due to arrive in September. Memorial arrangements are pending.