Don received a Bachelor of Science (1957) and a Master of Science (1958) in Electrical Engineering from Caltech, where he was a member of Dabney House. In 1970, he received a PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University. Don started out his career by teaching upper division and graduate-level classes in engineering at Arizona State University. In 1962, Don transitioned from teaching to the aerospace industry where he worked in Silicon Valley for 35 years. He was involved in many exciting projects throughout his career ranging from the Apollo program to exotic endeavors. He held several senior positions including Vice President and Director of Advanced Research and Development at Ford Aerospace and Chief Scientist at Loral Corporation.

Don is survived by his wife of 66 years, Madeline; children, Linda, Greg, and Karen; eight grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and his sister.