Avis de décès de Robert-Leon Ratte - Nécrologie - MesAieux.com

1921 - 2014Robert Leon Ratté was born May 30, 1921 in Lawrence, MA, to Eva and Auguste Ratté. The fourth of five children, he moved with his parents to Florida during the Roaring Twenties, and to Peekskill, NY, during the Great Depression, where he graduated from high school in 1939. A lifetime pacifist, he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps on the advance team for General MacArthur in the Pacific. He married Dora Tucci of Peekskill in 1949. They raised three children, Pierre (New York, NY), Maria Pia (Ridgefield, CT) and Jeffrey (Seattle, WA).Robert earned his Master's Degree in Architecture from Columbia University, where studied under Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict. Cultural anthropology became a lifelong interest. Early in his career, Robert took a job as project architect, supervising construction of the Defense Early Warning radar system (DEW line) in the Arctic. Overseeing construction of remote bases 50 miles apart, he visited Eskimo communities and took great interest in their culture. Later, as a commercial architect with Lockwood Greene, he continued to mesh his interest in anthropology and architecture. A highlight of his career was working with Paul Rudolf, who designed iconic commercial buildings where Robert was the architect of record. Robert also designed and built three family homes in the modern style, experimenting with industrial materials and innovative framing. Based in the Pan Am building in Manhattan, Robert held architectural licenses in over 20 states. He pioneered principles that are now standard practice, interviewing clients to determine their needs and designing spaces to fit both commercial and human activity patterns. Robert's capabilities and approach created strong bonds with his clients and led to his rise at Lockwood Greene. He retired in his 70s, after several years serving on the board of directors. In addition to his passion for modern architecture and anthropology, Robert avidly pursued cultural interests. He played chess with his brothers, and he recited the entireties of Shakespearean sonnets and classic poems. He read the NY Times as an extension of his educational interests, and he took pride in completing the daily and Sunday crossword puzzles in ink. For additional mental discipline, he chose to become left-handed about mid-way through life. After studying Aikido in 1963, he made T'ai Chi Chuan a lifelong morning ritual. He loved to play squash, and after a long training period of walking the stairs to his 18th floor apartment in NYC, he summited Mt. Rainier at age 69 with his mountaineering son and daughter-in-law. Strong in mind and spirit, Robert was a gentle and reflective man.Robert is predeceased by his wife, Dora, and his brother, Marc. He is survived by his two sisters, Lillian and Beatrice, and his brother, Raymond, and by his three children, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Contributions in Robert's memory can be made to Columbia University's Program for Academic Leadership and Service that offers scholarships to first generation college students.