GIVING IN MEMORY
Fanning the flames of education F
Frank O. Rheinisch Scholarships recognize fire protection engineers rom design to installation to maintenance, the late Frank O. Rheinisch was self-taught in everything to do with fire protection. Now, through a generous yearly gift from his family, Rheinisch will help Cal Poly students get formal training in the subject.
Two Frank O. Rheinisch Outstanding Cal Poly M.S. Candidate for Fire Protection Engineering Scholarships were awarded in 2019, a lasting legacy to a man known for his work ethic in creating and nurturing multiple businesses. The son of parents who escaped from East Germany in 1954 with no money and an uncertain future, Rheinisch first became interested in fire protection when he began working for a San Francisco sprinkler company after serving in the U.S. Army in Vietnam. After learning every facet of the business at sprinkler companies in the Bay Area and San Luis Obispo, he founded the one-man Alpha Fire Sprinkler Corp. in a spare bedroom in 1990. Eventually, that company, plus two newer companies, Alpha Fire Residential and Alpha Fire and Security Alarm, grew to more than 30 employees.
Diana Rheinisch, a lifelong teacher and educator who was an instructor in the Cal Poly School of Education for 17 years, said her husband learned Cal Poly was starting a Fire Protection Engineering Program (FPE) shortly before his death in 2010. “Frank was pleased to know Cal Poly would be training engineers in fire protection,” Diana Rheinisch said. “He knew the great value of the degree and longed to have a fire protection engineer on our staff. And he always enjoyed having undergraduate Cal Poly Engineering student interns working in the office.” Fire Protection Engineering Program Director Fred Mower said he draws inspiration from Frank Rheinisch’s life story. “His dedication to his family and hard work in building successful businesses are great lessons for everyone,” Mower said. “It’s very thoughtful of Diana and the Rheinisch family to recognize the FPE program in this way. It’s a wonderful testimonial to his memory.”n
For more information on the Cal Poly Fire Protection Program, see fpe.calpoly.edu.
Diana Rheinisch, left, and Erik Rheinisch, right, present the Frank O. Rheinisch Outstanding M.S. Candidate Scholarships to graduate students David Morrisset and Anna Santoro.
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