Remember Walter J. Zable

An Extraordinary Man

Cubic invites you to share your thoughts, memories, or condolences about our founder Walter J. Zable by emailing us at rememberwalterjzable@cubic.com.

We will post your messages to this page so that we can all reflect upon and honor the extraordinary life of Walter J. Zable. His lifetime of achievements as an entrepreneur and electronics innovator, leader, athlete, and philanthropist has left an everlasting impact on the San Diego region and the world. Join us in remembering Water J. Zable.

Our Memories of Walter J. Zable

Thanks again Mr. Zable

My condolences go out to Mr. Zable’s family and to all of the Cubic employees. I worked for Cubic from 2009-2012. It was a memorable experience that I will cherish forever. Thanks Mr. Zable for creating a great company that gave me the opportunity when I needed to make a change. I was hired directly from another job in Afghanistan and it enabled me to get married to my long lost sweetheart from 30 years ago.

Max

Cubic Western Data

I worked for Cubic in '72 as VP of Operations at US Elevator and from '76 at Cubic Western Data as Director of International Programs until '83 when I left Cubic.

I was c.lose to Mr. Zable. I attended his children's weddings. He visited my programs in Australia and Hong Kong, and enjoyed my daily staff meetings with my crews. The crew thought that having the CEO sitting in the room listening to the status and problems was totally unbelievable. Walt made comments to me that he thought the crews were unbelievable as well. They looked after each other, and in effect, were looking after his company.

Mr. Zable afforded me one of the greatest periods in my career. I admired him greatly.

Thank you
Dave

Memories (Third Hand)

While I only knew Walter through those that worked with and for him, he was one who knew his business, respected each individual, and loved what he was doing.

Great Loss

I worked for Cubic Defense Systems for 35 years, but am retired now. Mr. Zable was a great man and I knew him, as he would come by our office (in the early years) to see us and say hello. I worked in the Proposals Group and it consisted of my boss and one other woman. 

To me it is a great loss, but Mr. Zable lived his life to the fullest.

Renee

Tribute and Celebration

When I first heard of Walter’s passing, I was on my way to East Africa and unable to respond. On arriving in Uganda where communication is enabled less than regularly, I decided it best to wait until my return. On my return I find that I am four days late in being able to publically pay tribute to a man who certainly “earned his way through life”. Walter once told me in a conversation regarding athletics and especially senior athletics that he hoped to be able to continue until he could no longer walk. I knew that he had been active in senior athletics but was surprised to hear that he had won a prominent seniors hurdles race at the age of 76 (I believe that I have his age claim correct). He asked me what my average times were in NCAA 440 races. We proceeded to look for the recorded answer on my secretary’s computer. When he saw the numbers he responded “impressive” and then pressed hard for a commitment that I would get into and continue senior athletic competition. I was in my 60s at that time and had, after graduation from university many years earlier, given no thought to continued participation in sports other than just being able to say that “I participated”. All these years later I can say that I followed his advice and coupled to business ventures, it has been a fun ride!

Thanks, Walter!

Dave

Missed by All

I worked for Cubic Corporation in Merstham, Surrey, England for 10 years. I was fortunate enough to meet Walter J. Zable senior when he came over to England and attended a retirement lunch with Ray de Kozan, for whom I worked for many years as his PA. The retirement lunch was hosted by Cubic at the Goring Hotel, London for David Bailey, who worked for London Underground. I organised the event and was fortunate enough to attend it and meet Walter.

Walter was a very pleasant man with a nice sense of humour. He will be missed by all.

Muriel

Walter J. Zable - A Great Man

I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Zable at my 20^th anniversary here at Cubic.  At the time, he was meeting with a monthly group of employees that had achieved this milestone.  We met in his office where we were offered a glass of wine, and some interesting conversation. He told us all about Cubic, its past achievements, and future dreams.  He was very dynamic, and full of energy and thoughts for future technology. He was obviously a brilliant individual, but at the same time, very down to earth.  It was a great experience.  Afterwards, I wrote him a note thanking him for my employment at Cubic, and received a handwritten note from him.  For this extraordinary man to take the time to write me back is something I’ve always treasured.  I am still at Cubic, and he has provided me with a great career. He was  remarkable, and all who have been fortunate enough to work at Cubic can thank this special man.  He has definitely left a legacy, especially to those whose lives he touched along the way.  God Bless his family at this difficult time.  

Diane

Thank You, Mr. Zable 

On behalf of my family and myself, I would like to pass along our condolences to the Zable Family on the recent passing of our founder and leader, Mr. Zable.

Rick

My experience with Mr. Zable

I was working in Washington DC and staying at the Cubic apartments.  One night when I came back to the apartment Mr. Zable was there.   He was staying at the apartment for a few days also. I assumed he would be way too busy to have anything to do with me.  It turned out very different from that.

Mark

My first encounter with Mr. Zable

I was in a meeting with our USMC customer in the early start of the Team Portable project.  During the meeting Mr. Zable walked in and proclaimed “This is not the meeting I am looking for!”  He excused himself and stepped back out.  But a few minutes later he came back in and stated “This looked like a much more interesting meeting than the one I was suppose to attend.”  He then went around an introduced himself to the customers and joined our meeting.  I was most impressed in how familiar he was with the program and the goals of the project.

Randolph

Highest Regard for Mr. Zable

I would like to express my condolences to Walter J. Zable family, friends and everyone at Cubic Corporation. My husband Philip Heltman worked a Cubic Corporation for many years and worked with Mr. Zable on a day-to-day basis. Philip held the highest regard for Mr. Zable. I remember meeting Mr. Zable several times but most memorable was Mr. Zable's tears at Philip's wake over four years ago during this difficult time. My prayers are with Mr. Zable and his family at this time.

Judy

Greatness

I feel as though I have lost a grandfather. Over the many years I have been proud to be part of this CUBIC family & we have lost a great leader.  His legacy will live on in many ways, with the soldiers who have & will be trained using Cubic systems with every swipe of transit card using Cubic systems, plus the numerous products and systems generated and the multiple ways he touched others with his generosity and support.

Sincerely
Kathy

Thankful

I worked for Walter at Cubic for 29 years. He took care of his workers as if they were his own family and he was always coming in the lab to see how things were going. He made you feel important to Cubic and I am thankful to have known him. 

Joseph

Giving My Respect and Condolences

May God be with the family and comfort them during this difficult time.

Emerald 

Full Life

As a PEO STRI Contracting Officer from 1991 to 2008, I met Mr. Zable on several occasions. I knew he had led a full life, but it was not until today when I read his Wikepedia biography did I realize just how full it was and how much he accomplished in his long life. My condolences go out to his family and his Cubic Corporation family.

Michael K. Minor 

A Living Legend

“A living legend” – this is the phrase that I often heard used to describe Mr. Zable. When spoken, it seemed that the phrase included a tone of pride as well as incredulous awe knowing that he continued to work at Cubic long past traditional retirement age. I really appreciated that Mr. Zable believed in the company he created to keep active oversight and keen interest in current technologies and programs – and certainly modeled a very high standard of work ethic! 

About ten years ago, I had the opportunity to hear him speak during an informal Cubic lunch forum several months after I hired into Cubic. As he related his stories of Cubic history with very vivid and humorous details (meeting with princes and other foreign dignitaries), I knew that Cubic would be an environment that promoted creativity in engineering design and encouraged leadership. After all, his real life experience as the Cubic founder and as an engineer was a testament to that fact.   

Please send my condolences to his family. His physical presence will certainly be missed by his family and close friends, but surely his spirit of ingenuity will live on.

Sincerely,
Melanie

God Bless You

Although many of us didn’t know you personally, your legacy and success have made you a big part of our life. Thank for building Cubic to the company it is today, and may we continue to add to Cubic’s success in the years to come. May God bless your family during this hard time, and may God bless you with everlasting peace and happiness in heaven.

Gratitude

Words cannot express the gratitude and opportunities you and your company opened up for our family when you hired me to work for Cubic in America from Hong Kong.  I still remember when your son came to my daughter's full moon party in Hong Kong after she was born.  What at first thought was a temporary move to the United States, turned out to be more of a permanent stay for 28 years.  With time, my family has grown, life has prospered and my daughters have gone to great colleges, where one now works as a physician and the other in business.  I have learned and grown much from working at your company and I will always be forever grateful for what you have done for me and my family.  Thank you, thank you, thank you so very much.  My condolences to your family, may you rest in peace and I will always remember you, your hard-work, your dedication and passion in making the company to where it is now.

Peter Lo & Family

Remembering Walter J. Zable - CEO

Sympathies and Condolences

Deepest Condolences

Our deepest condolences to the family, friends and employees of Mr. Zable.  He was a dedicated industry leader who created and nurtured a company that continues to this day to be an industry leader with innovative products and a culture of honesty and integrity which we have been honored to work with and  represent in Poland for more than 20 years.  It was also our pleasure in the late 90’s to meet Mr. Zable personally at the AFCEA conferences.

Wanda & Woitek

American Success Story

My family and I were extremely saddened to hear that your company's founder, Mr. Walter J. Zable, passed away last week.  He was a wonderful example of an American success story and an inspiration to us all.at the AFCEA conferences.

Josephine and Stella

Support to the Military

I have never met Mr. Zable. Cubic was my first job after a 33-year career as an  Army Ranger. I have worked here over two years now and Cubic has treated me very well and helped ease my transition. Throughout both my careers, Cubic has always been on the cutting edge in support of our Military.  Many of my co-workers are retired from all four Services and the Coast Guard.  When looking for a new career they encouraged me to come and work for this great company.  Mr. Zable, thanks for the opportunity, it has been great, you will be missed by all.       
 
Michael

Football

A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to ask Mr. Zable what position he played in his football days. He was walking gingerly on tender knees, but he was in good humor and responded graciously and enthusiastically. It was obvious that the game was one of his favorite subjects. I think Mr. Zable felt that anything worth doing, whether it was playing football or guiding Cubic, was to be done with purpose and passion. I will be reminded of that when I think of him.

Gregory

Remembering Walter J. Zable

Mr. Zable would come over to CTS for a meeting, etc. and would always have a kind word for me. He would also tell me of a time in his life that was important to him, or tell me something funny that happened to him. Not only was he a jokester, but also a very kind, good man. I will miss him as well as our chats.

Cindy

Walter J. Zable

Truly a man of wisdom and integrity.

Alisa

Deepest Condolences

We from Cubic Transportation Systems Ltd , European Head Office Service Desk - UK, offer our deepest condolences to our founder Mr Walter J. Zable’s family in these difficult times. 

Kind regards,
Jay

Loss

My deepest condolences in your loss. My prayers are with your family. God Bless.

Sincerely,
Patricia

Extraordinary man

In very recent past, I occasionally saw Mr. Zable at quitting time when he left the facility with his assistant in the parking park.

It was truly amazing to see him so dedicated to his Cubic family at his advanced age. My heartfelt condolences to the family and to all of us Cubic employees for our great lost. Mr. Zable will be greatly missed by all of us here at Cubic and the industry at large. The world has just lost an extraordinary man.

Respectfully,
Robert

Memories

I remember when I had my picture taken with Mr. Zable for my 20th year here at Cubic. I remember telling him how much I enjoyed working for Cubic and that I considered it my home away from home. We talked about how the 20 years just seemed to fly by so fast. We talked about the retirement years and I told him that I still had another 10-12 years before I would even think of retirement and that I hoped he would still be around. Mr. Zable looked at me, laughed and smiled and said “I don’t think I’ll be around that long”. Well I saw him in the hallway sometime early last year and I said to him….”You’re still here” and we both smiled.

Mr. Zable, from my heart you will be missed.

Carol

Walter J. Zable was truly the Engineer’s Engineer

My first meeting with the Chairman was in the Summer of 1997. This meeting was a unique experience in many ways. It clearly defined for me his leadership quality, enthusiasm for business and the unmistakable pleasure he got from seeing Cubic’s technology and contracted programs manifest into a revenue-generating business. Walter J. Zable was truly the Engineer’s Engineer…and so much more. He had an embedded instinct to evaluate a given situation, review developing technology and/or a concept and make a decision to fund it or not. If funded, he supported it to the end to be sure it resulted in Cubic’s and its customers success. Anyone who worked directly with him clearly understood that he was in charge and would as he said “give ’em hell” at first. I believe it was his way of being sure you were on your toes and totally aware of your responsibilities. I was amazed by his attention to detail, not only for business concerns, but for his employees. He more than once amazed me with his often difficult to accept evaluations but overall resolve to fully support you in multiple ways if he believed in you and what you were trying to achieve. He would give you the opportunity to succeed. His leadership methods and actions made you want to work even harder for Cubic. Walter J. Zable and the Cubic were one and the same in many ways. He created a culture unique to Cubic that gave this company a strong foundation, felt around the world, which is found in few other corporations.

He was an inspirational individual and leader that will be missed.

Walt

Missed by us all

I have a great memory of Walter and I sharing a laugh over something I presented to Walter, during his presentation of a 20 year Anniversary certificate to me, several years ago. The event was photographed and presented to me, signed by Walter, several years ago when I retired from CTS.

During my recent 25th anniversary certificate presentation at CDA, the photo of the previous event was presented and everyone there shared in the laugh that Walter and I had shared previously. I commented at the time, last Friday, that I had invited Walter to this anniversary as well, because the 20th was such a memorable event for me. I also expressed that I understood that he may not be able to attend but that he would take great pleasure in being invited anyway, knowing that we employees still looked forward to seeing him and sharing special occasions. It was with great sorrow that I read about his passing the following Sunday.

He was a great individual, technical innovator, leader and most of all a friend, and he will be missed by us all.

Roger

Walt Z’s ingenuity

I never met Walt Z, but in my short tenure here was humbled to work in the same company together with him. Over a 25 year U.S. Navy career, I came into contact with Cubic technology training and then deploying with the Naval Coastal Warfare units I commanded. As a result of Walt Z’s ingenuity, Cubic engineering and technology has made our military stronger, and saved the lives of countless young Americans and others serving at the tip of the spear. As someone who has been there, I can tell you that this REALLY matters.

FAIR WINDS AND FOLLOWING SEAS.
Phil

A Great American

There are few that have ever crossed my path that I could proclaim as Great Americans. Mr. Zable is one. I never met the man personally but he knew who I was because of the 17 years I have given to MSS and to Cubic. But, besides providing employment for countless numbers of employees over the years, he was a great philanthropist that cared deeply about his roots, his country, and its people at large. I am very proud to be part of Cubic, an honest company with integrity that started at the very top with Mr. Zable. I learned that from him and from Cubic, and it is forever locked in my psyche to always do what is right when no one is looking. Thanks for the azimuth sir. Your life made a difference to many more than you could ever imagine. The world is a less place now that you are not in it, but your legacy is secure for many years to come.

God speed.
John

Remembering Walter J Zable

Some period approximately mid 2000’s, I was finishing a lunch time 5k and running down the driveway in the Building 8 parking lot. I noticed a white car driving in reverse heading straight for me. It was backing up longer than required to clear its parking spot. I was not sure who was occupying it, and if they saw me running in the rear view mirror. I didn’t want to get hit. As it approached me (still in reverse), the vehicle stopped, the window rolled down, and lo and behold, Mr. Zable yells out to me from the passenger side “How far did you run?” I was completely surprised, but yelled back --5k! He then yelled back to me “I used to be able to run, but my knees don’t let me!”. Then he smiled a huge grin and drove off…I remember thinking that guy is a stud!

Thank you,
Danny

To whom it may concern

Unfortunately myself and Mr Zable never met, he was however known to me as a founder of the company that I now work for. I have worked for CUBIC for 18 years, without the vision, efforts, growth and selection processes all in place today and since the companies birth I would not be here.

To be a founder and watch a company grow must be so satisfying, I would like to say a massive thank you to Mr Zable. The legacy in which we are all a part of is to continue to show that CUBIC is and will remain the company that it is as a worldwide leader.

Please convey my sincerest condolences to the family of Mr Zable.

Dean

Great entrepreneur and an inspirational leader

I was very saddened to read of Walter's passing.  He was without question a great entrepreneur and an inspirational leader for Cubic Corp. I'm sure he will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

Best Regards,
Steve

Mr. Zable

My Dad met Mr. Zable a long time ago. He was telling me he was nicest man he ever met. I came to Cubic from staffing to work there, but never met the man ! RIP Mr. Zable you will be greatly missed.

Jackie

Legacy

I worked at Cubic for almost 24 years. Many times I had the opportunity to talk to Mr. Zable or listen to him speak. He is a wonderful man and a great leader. Working at his company was like being a member of the family. The value of what he brought to Cubic and to San Diego is impossible to measure. We will miss him, but his legacy will live forever…

George

Our condolences 

We are sorry to hear of the loss of Walter J. Zable and wanted to extend our condolences. Our deepest sympathies to you and the team at Cubic. Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you.

Sincerely,
Virginia

Deepest condolences and sympathies

First off, our very deepest condolences and sympathies for the passing of Mr. Zable. He was such a larger-than-life figure in so many ways. What a legacy . . . . we wanted you to know that you and the Cubic family are very much in our thoughts and prayers.

John

Mr Z

I have met Mr Z, and he took a few of us to dinner. All I can say is that this man has done so much for many, and not just in the San Diego area. RIP Mr Z and thank you for everything you have done for so many.

Ricky

Condolences

I have photographed him many times in my very close to 30 years of employment by him. I always enjoyed the interaction with him during and after any photographing event. This fine man was gentle and thoughtful. I don't take that lightly!!! My condolences to the family of CUBIC and the Zables. I will miss him. RIP my friend.

Daniel

Rest in Peace Mr. Zable.

Thank you for creating a company, that I could begin my career as a software engineer with 5 years of work at Cubic Defense Systems/Corporation. I never met you - but working at Cubic was a good opportunity and helped me raise my 2 sons. May your memory be eternal, to all your family members, with love.

Gail