CC Rayan Fund honors 1962 mechanical engineering grad

UW Mechanical Engineering alumnus Chalasani Chowdhury Rayan (known as CC) was born in 1938 in Guntur AP India to Chalasani Venkat Ratnam and Akilandeswary. His father, Venkat Ratnam, was an electrical engineer who earned his BSc from the London School of Economics.

Rayan completed his early education in Madras, and went on to earn a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Anantapur and a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1962.

He began his career as a lecturer in Kakinada, India before moving to the U.S. After graduating from UW-Madison, he worked in Milwaukee, WI as a mechanical engineer and project manager for leading firms including Bucyrus Erie, Hewitt Robins, and Allis-Chalmers. Over nearly three decades at Allis-Chalmers, Rayan led iron ore projects and worked internationally in Stockholm, Hong Kong, South America, Mexico, Italy, and India.

Rayan passed away on April 26, 1993, and is remembered fondly by his wife Lalitha and daughter Sonya. In honor of her late husband, Lalitha generously established the ‘CC Rayan Fund’ to support the Department of Mechanical Engineering.