As related in the College Years: 1953 to 1969 essay, selecting Engineering as a major was a spur of the moment decision. Other than a desire to be a professional baseball player, there had been no consideration ever given to a college major or how to earn a living. Without question, selecting Engineering was based on an unseen influence of Dad. His influence was unspoken, because we never discussed Engineering as a career. He told me of his work history, his interest in science, his mechanical ingenuity in building and repair of things and our many conversations on many subjects were a great influence on my growing up. There is no doubt in my mind, my Dad was the unspoken reason an Engineering major was selected upon entering college. Although the Engineering major was later changed to Physics, choosing science based studies were definitely the best choice. After only two years of Engineering studies, in 1955 I entered the world of Engineering as a draftsman at Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach. This summer job was the beginning of nearly 45 years of Engineering employment in the Defense Industry.
The College Years essay chronicled my first Engineering job at Douglas that initially was just a summer job. However, Bev and I were married that summer and my college education was placed on hold for a couple of years. Bev continued her college work while I supported us, just not royally! Failing to gain entrance to the University of California Engineering School (Berkeley), I was admitted to Long Beach State College (LBSC) as a Junior with a major in Physics. After graduation from LBSC in 1958, the essay also told of escaping the draft by attending UCLA graduate school until the Summer of 1959 when my draft deferment expired. I was aware that a Defense Industry deferment could be obtained by working at Douglas Aircraft or some other similar company. Since I had a Leave of Absence at Douglas, it was possible to return to the Power Plant Group. Returning to Douglas was not appealing, especially the Power Plant Group. Don McGuire was still working at Douglas, and he mentioned that a Wilson High School and Long Beach City College acquaintance had just hired in at North American Aviation (NAA) Missile Division in Downey. NAA was hiring and advertised several openings for engineers. I have no recollection of what these openings entailed nor the positon requirements. It must be admitted that with a degree in Physics, most any engineering position could be accommodated, especially since I had an excellent background in math. Upon deciding to submit an application, a resume was generated highlighting both my education and experience at Douglas. It is not remembered whether a specific position was identified, but there is a fuzzy memory about being interested in electromagnetic theory. Whatever was indicated in the application, an interview resulted. Whether the interview occurred when the application was submitted or after receiving a call is not recalled.
The interview was with Floyd Knowlden, Supervisor of the Avionics Unit with an opening in an Antenna Group within his Unit. There is no recollection of the interview, but it must have gone well because an offer was received for the Antenna Group positon. The offer was for $580/month, or $6,960 per year. Knowing that the acquaintance, previously mentioned, had been recently hired at $610/month, a counter offer was made at $600/month. NAA rejected the counteroffer and renewed the original offer of $580 per month. The position seemed interesting, challenging and appealing. After accepting the offer, we agreed that I would report to work near the end of June 1959. The actual start date has been lost to history. Because this position was in the defense industry, there were two items that had to be addressed first. The positon required a security clearance, and my draft classification had to be changed before receiving another Induction Notice! NAA submitted the Draft Classification changed to the Draft Board, and shortly after beginning work, my classification was changed to 2A. This meant the possibility of receiving another Induction Notice had dropped to near zero, because only 1A Classifications were being drafted! It is not remembered when the security forms were completed and submitted, nor when the Secret clearance was received. There is a fuzzy memory I had to be escorted at all times until the clearance was received. Best that can be remembered, waiting for the clearance was not too long.
North American Aviation Missile Division was located on Lakewood Boulevard in Downey. When I started work in June, we were living in an apartment on Phillips Street a few houses down the street from the Wilhite residence. The drive from the apartment to NAA was about nine miles, about a 30 minute drive. Access to the plant required showing a badge and a photo ID card to a guard at the plant gate. Initially, Floyd Knowlden’s secretary would come to the gate to escort me to the Avionics areas. Until a security clearance was obtained, a temporary pass had to be worn that required an escort wherever I went. The Avionics area was about a five minute walk from the guard gate. The Avionics area was a large “bullpen” with about 50 engineers in the unit. This bullpen area was also occupied by other engineering units. These “bullpens” were common at the time, both at NAA and Douglas. The Antenna Group was fortunate, because there were four of us in a six man office with the door to the room next to the Supervisor’s desk. Compared with the bullpen area, this office was fantastic.
Best that can be recalled, there were three engineers and one electrical technician in the Antenna Group. Unfortunately, only three names come to mind: Walt Deutsch, Jim Ashley and Al Woronow. Walt was the group’s Lead Man and made the work assignments. Jim impressed me as the primary engineer in the group. The Avionics Unit had a laboratory where most of the technicians worked. Al supported the antenna group and occupied a desk in our office but was usually in the lab. I became good friends with Jim and Al. Jim was about my age, while Al was in his 50s. Jim lived in West Anaheim as mentioned in the essay Marriage: 1960 to 1963. Al and his family lived on Ocana Avenue, about a block from my folks on Sebren Avenue. Al was non-degreed but was a very experienced and knowledgeable electrical technician. Jim had attended Texas Tech, but had not graduated. Best that can be recalled, Jim had held engineering jobs prior to joining NAA. Even though he was non-degreed, Jim’s engineering knowledge and abilities were outstanding. While waiting for my security clearance, Jim not only assisted me in gaining antenna knowledge but introduced me to several senior engineers. Certainly, he pointed the direction to educate myself
concerning properties and characteristics of several antenna types.
Until my security clearance was approved, l was introduced to various antenna types and the associated radiation patterns and the importance of electrical wave polarization. Radiation pattern knowledge enabled the selection of the appropriate antenna to meet the communications requirement for each intended use. In addition to gaining knowledge about antenna characteristics, communications link calculations were considered and how antenna performance affected these links. Besides antenna performance considerations, how these antenna characteristics affected a communications links had to be considered also. Meeting several of the senior engineers was very beneficial, because it introduced me to system analysis
These senior engineers were assigned to various studies and new business opportunities for NAA. These senior engineers were anywhere from 15 to 20 years older with years of experience. At first, they could not discuss their projects but just being introduced to them was a future benefit. In actuality, my first introduction to these fellows also put me on the road to becoming a coffee addict. It was quickly learned that coffee breaks were an essential part of the engineering environment at NAA. About mid-morning, a group of engineers would assemble at a coffee machine to flip coins to see who would buy a cup of coffee for everyone. These groups consisted of anywhere from three to six engineers. If you remember from an earlier essay, coffee had been tried and I did not like it. Well, these machines produced terrible tasting coffee. So, at first my coffee was with sugar to make it palatable. Coffee with sugar became too sweet, and I changed to drinking it black with no additives. In fact, coffee was only consumed at work for many years.
About three months after beginning work, my Secret security clearance was granted. Now it was possible to explore anywhere in the plant without an escort. Once the security clearance was obtained, Walt assigned my first antenna task for the Hound Dog missile. Before explaining that assignment, it is appropriate to provide some background and history for the Hound Dog missile. Beginning in the late 1940s NAA began development of the Navajo supersonic cruise missile for the Air Force, with the development at the Missile Division in Downey. When the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957, development of the Atlas ICBM received priority and Navajo became a backup.
With the successful development of the Atlas ICBM, the Navajo program was cancelled in July 1958. This program cancellation was a major news story for the area, and Missile Division had major layoffs. However, the Strategic Air Command (SAC) still required a “stand-off” missile to neutralize Soviet Air Defense Systems. Missile Division won a contact in August 1957 to develop the GAM-77 missile that requirement. The Air Force named this missile, Hound Dog. Where it received the name Hound Dog has been the source of argument for decades. In recent years, however, people have given credit to fans in the Air Force of Elvis Presley's popular song "Hound Dog". The peanuts cartoon was also popular at this time, and the beagle Snoopy was used as a Hound Dog logo.
Snoopy Logo of the Hound Dog Missile, circa 1959
So, what was the Hound Dog missile?
Basically, the Hound Dog was a supersonic cruise missile with a nuclear warhead. NAA adapted swept-wing technology from the Navajo program to develop the missile. It was designed for an air launch from a B-52 Stratofortress. A B-52 could carry two Hound Dogs, one mounted under each wing. The missile had a top speed of Mach 2, twice the speed of sound, and a maximum range of about 780 miles. It was powered by a single Pratt & Whitney J52 turbojet mounted in an engine nacelle under the missile fuselage. The J52 engine operated at full thrust from the time it was launched. In April 1958, a successful first flight of the Hound Dog occurred. In November 1958, a B-52 successfully dropped a dummy Hound Dog missile. Based on these missile test successes, Missile Division was awarded a Hound Dog production contract in October 1958. This production contract was the primary reason for increased hiring just as my UCLA studies were concluded in May 1959. The following Hound Dog photo is the only one that could be found on the internet. Lack of a good photo was a surprise, because I remember seeing in flight videos of test flights. Also, included, is a photo of a B-52 with a Hound Dog under each wing.
Hound Dog Cruise Missile
B-52 Stratofortress with Hound Dogs
To enable a SAC training capability, the production contract included a requirement to replace the nuclear payload with an instrumentation package. This instrumentation package would permit a flight crew to program, launch and control the Hound Dog in flight. The Avionics Unit developed a package to provide the functions of navigation, telemetry and identification, commonly termed NTI Kit. There were three antennas associated with the NTI Kit that provided radio frequency (RF) links for the electronic functions. In addition to these electronic functions, the NTI Kit had to simulate the weight of the nuclear warhead. Coverage of these three antennas became my first assignment in the Antenna Group.
The NTI Kit antennas consisted of two different designs: One Turnstile antenna and two Blade antennas. The Turnstile antenna was mounted at the rear of the missile and covered with a fiberglass radome. This radome matched the tailcap of the missile fuselage, as can be seen in the photo. This antenna provided a link to either the launching B-52 or a chase plane. The Blade antennas were mounted on the fuselage, one on each side near the “F” in U. S. Air Force. These antennas provided the RF link for aircraft identification or to destruct the missile if necessary. These antennas had been selected prior to my joining the Antenna Group. While basic antenna patterns for these antennas were known, radiation patterns of the antennas mounted on the missile were not known. Of course, obtaining these radiation patterns on a Hound Dog missile could not be obtained due to its size. Due to these circumstances, these antenna radiation patterns would be obtained on a scale model of the Hound Dog.
A one tenth (1/10) scale model of the Hound Dog had been constructed and covered with a copper paint to simulate the metal surfaces of the missile. To maintain the relationship of the missile size to the frequency response of the antenna, the operating frequency of the antenna had to be increased by a factor of ten (10). However, Missile Division did not have an antenna range to obtain the radiation patterns. Walt had arranged for these radiation patterns to be obtained at Lockheed in Burbank. My assignment was to work with the engineers at Lockheed to obtain the required antenna patterns. Lockheed built the scale model antennas and mounted them on the scale model. Walt and I visited the Lockheed antenna range when the Hound Dog scale mode had been delivered. We met the met the antenna range manager and discussed the work to be done at Lockheed. After this meeting, it was my responsibility to oversee the Lockheed effort.
Periodic trips were made to Lockheed to determine the status of the effort. One of the primary reasons for selecting Lockheed to conduct the antenna tests was their ability to provide three dimensional (3D) antenna patterns. These 3D patterns are a composite of multiple patterns taken for every five degrees of the missile aspect. Lockheed was one of the pioneers in combining these patterns in a 3D format. When we obtained these 3D patterns for Hound Dog, it was obvious the antenna types and locations provided the desired antenna coverage for the Hound Dog missile with the NTI Kit installed. Sometime after completing the Lockheed project, there were two incidents of note that come to mind.
I had maintained contact with Don McGuire while attending UCLA and after going to work at NAA. Don was still pursuing his Physics degree at LBSC and kept me up to date on happenings in the Physics department. Although Don and I had started our Junior year together, he had struggled in his studies and was going to graduate in 1960. Sometime in his Senior year, there was a cheating scandal in the department that involved several students. One of these students was George Wandrocke. I did not know George since he was a couple of years behind me. Don was not involved in the scandal but knew everyone involved. Best that I can be remember is that some of those involved were removed from the school, while a couple of them were allowed to continue. George Wandrocke was allowed to continue and was graduating along with Don. Don was furious about the situation but did not want to become involved in any way. I understood Don’s frustration and believed anyone that cheated in college did not deserve to graduate. Well, I was faced with a dilemma.
Although the work load in the Antenna group was not overwhelming, Walt and Floyd Knowlden decided to hire another engineer. Who did they hire? George Wandrocke! Needless to say, I was shocked. In fact, I did not believe someone that cheated in college deserved to receive a security clearance. It cannot be remembered whether I informed either Walt or Floyd Knowlden of George’s cheating issue. The background investigation would discover the issue and would determine if a security clearance would be issued. He did receive a clearance but my view of him was forever tainted. I did not bring up the subject and George did not either. All that can be said, is that our relationship was cordial: after I left the Antenna Group, I lost track of George. I have no idea what happened to George; whether he continued at NAA, or left for another company is a mystery.
The second incident of note was my first raise in 1960. I received a $30/month increase to $610/month. I was surprised about the raise and felt very proud and lucky to receive it. Somehow, your first raise seems like a major milestone. Your first raise tells you that your efforts have been noted and appreciated. However, for me there was a downside to the raise. Dad was very pleased that I had received the raise, but telling him about it made me feel uneasy. After working for about a year, I was making more than Dad. Dad had been working for about 30 years, not including when he was a kid. He had worked as a cowboy, auto mechanic, draftsman, surveyor, to name a few jobs. He had taken night courses in math, drafting and who knows what else. His job with the Navy did not pay what non-government job paid. His work experience was vast and varied. Essentially, my work experience was very limited. Actually, I was still “wet behind the ear.” Making more than Dad in such a short time really bothered me. Since I was aware of how hard he had worked and knowing how intelligent he was, it just seemed so unfair. I did not mention this feeling to Dad, primarily because it was obvious he was extremely proud of my accomplishment. My unfairness feeling faded with time but was never forgotten. This first recognition of surpassing, in any aspect whatsoever, the man who taught me everything important in life, was very sobering. Just wish I could have been as good a father as he was.
Upon obtaining the Hound Dog antenna radiation patterns from Lockheed, our attention turned to radar cross section. Radar cross section determines the distance a radar can detect an object. To determine the Hound Dog radar cross section required some research on it calculations. Discovering some published articles and sections of text books, I was able to calculate a possible cross section. Walt and George were investigating radar absorbent material (RAM). To the best of my recollection, there was no effort to reduce the cross section of the Hound Dog with any RAM.
About a year after joining NAA, May 1, 1960 to be exact, Gary Francis Powers was shot down flying a US spy plane over the Soviet Union. Quite naturally, the downing of the U2 and capturing an American pilot rocked the world. The senior engineers I know were really excited, because they were heavily involved in studies of Soviet technologies. It is suspected that they were investigating counter-measure of Soviet air defense systems. This incidence, and the resulting discussions amongst the senior engineers, was the first hint I had as to what their tasks involved.
About two years after joining the Antenna Group, Jim Ashley told me he had asked for a transfer to another unit. Jim and I had discussed several times that Walt Deutsch was not a good leader. Walt talked considerably, but there was no substance to his “pearls of wisdom” and we knew that further exciting projects were not possible. After asking for his transfer, Jim was placed on loan to another group pending a transfer. As I finished the radar cross section study, I also approached Floyd Knowlden and lodged my frustration with Walt and the lack of expanding my capabilities. Floyd understood and assigned me to work for Mike Zelon. Mike was a senior engineer in the Avionics Unit and was responsible for some advanced studies. Mike gave me an assignment that required my physics knowledge.
Mike’s assignment for me was to determine the Infrared (IR) profile of the Hound Dog. This task required determining the exhaust gas temperatures of the J52 turbojet engine. In addition, the task required considering a number of IR systems use for air-to-air missiles. This Hound Dog IR susceptibility task was really challenging and very interesting. While doing this IR study, NAA received two contracts that significantly change not only the Missile Division but the entire company.
While doing the IR study, my senior engineer friends were working on the proposals for the Apollo program. They could not tell Jim and me any of the details, but it was obvious they had to consider how to address subjects that required thinking “out of the box.” Then, it was announced on November 28, 1961 that NAA Missile Division had been awarded the contract for the Apollo Command Module and Service Module. Shortly after this announcement, we learned that NAA had been awarded the contract for the second stage of the Saturn V rocket (S-ll). Although this contract was awarded on September 1, 1961, it was announced after the Apollo contract awarded that Missile Division personnel were to lead the project. Besides these two contracts, NAA’s Rocketdyne Division was awarded contracts for the development and production of the rocket engines for the Saturn V rocket. These two huge contracts, plus the Rocketdyne contract, resulted in major re-organization of not only the Missile Division but all of NAA. Winning these contracts produced considerable re-organization, and I experienced new bosses and new assignments that are a blur today. My boss changed a couple of times and the names have been lost to history. I do remember that Jim Ashley and Floyd Knowlden were assigned to the S-ll program and were transferred to the new Space Division in Seal Beach. When the facility was constructed is not remembered. Best that I can recall is that the physical relocation did not occur until at least 1962. About 1962, or 1963 I was temporarily assigned to an Apollo antenna group. The task was to select antennas for an Apollo test vehicle. Once that task was complete I was assigned to a communications group. At this time, my boss was Bob Daniels. Assignments coming from Bob were related to the blackout conditions for Apollo re-entry. These tasks involved determining the electron density of the plasma formed by the Command Module as it entered the earth’s atmosphere. Knowing the electron density as a function of time enables a determination of the length of time the Command Module could not receive or transmit communications. Although a few computer runs were programmed, these efforts were essentially off-line, and actual blackout times were determined by NASA. Also, during this time period Bob hired Dick Fredrickson. Dick had a Masters in Physics from Illinois University. Dick and I became good friends for the several years. In fact, Dick and I started Law School together in 1967.
Sometime in 1965 the communications folks working for Dr. Bob Parkinson were transferred to Autonetics in Anaheim. Dick and I remained in Downey. We were given various odd jobs that are now lost to history. Not long after this split in the department, Dick was able to get a transfer to the Dr. Parkinson’s Communications unit in Anaheim. Since Autonetics was near home, I left early one day from Downey to visit Dick. Dick urged me to see whether I could get a loan to Dr. Parkinson’s department, with the ultimate goal to transfer to the group. I made an appointment with Sam Costanza, a supervisor in Dr. Parkinson’s department. Sam indicated he would request a loan for me from my current Supervisor, Dick Scott. Although I had no training in communications, Sam believed I could write well and would fit into his plans at least if I agreed. My job in Downey was turning into a boring assignment writing specifications, and the communications job seemed more interesting. Thus, I agreed to Sam’s offer of a loaner to be eventually followed by a transfer. Dick Scott knew what was happening and was reluctant to loan me to Sam. But the work load in Downey was diminishing, and a loan helped Dick reduce his group size. The loan went through in late 1966 and resulted in a transfer to Autonetics in the Spring of 1967.
There were two very memorable news stories that occurred to mark my loan and transfer to Autonetics. First, on November 8, 1966, Ronald Reagan defeated two term Edmund G. “Pat” Brown to become Governor of California. Edmund Brown was the father of Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown. Reagan assumed office on January 2, 1967. It is recalled hearing some engineer in the hallway outside my office complaining Reagan had not prepared a budget as required by California’s Constitution; here clearly an unhappy Democrat. Second, on January 27, 1967 the Apollo Program was changed forever by a flash fire which swept through the Apollo 1 Command Module during a launch rehearsal test. This fire took the lives of three astronauts and delayed the program for 18 months due to extensive redesign by NAA and NASA.
When I first arrived in Anaheim, Frank Gebhardt, was given the task of teaching me communications. Frank assigned some basic communications text books to learn the essence of radio communications. Besides the text books, I talked to a number of the communication engineers and was able to ask questions. Fortunately, I knew several of these folks and all were quite helpful. Plus, Frank had me make a lunchtime presentations to some of these engineers during lunch hour. As awkward as it was, I had to provide a lecture to communication engineers, such as Chuck Wheatley, Walt Cascell, Francis Nakamoto, etc., about radio communications. What made these lunchtime presentations out of the ordinary, I was leaning about “standard” radio modulation formats, like amplitude and frequency modulations. These fellows were designing advance anti-jam communication systems. Fortunately, everyone knew what the task was about and were very understanding.
An integral part of learning radio communications understanding modulation types used to transmitted information from point A to point B. This information could be either voice or data. A communications system needed sufficient transmit power that could be detected by the receiving system at a specified range. To ensure information transfer occurred, link calculations were required for every type communications system. Although some link calculations had been done in the antenna group, various propagation effects had to be learned, like “radio horizon” and “signal to noise ratio” (S/N). Radio horizon defined the maximum range that a communications link could be established, while S/N defined the signal strength of the transmission. Both factors are very important aspects for any radio system. Anti-jam, or spread spectrum, communications systems were state-of-the-art and the department had developed a frequency hopping system, named RASCAL, that had been demonstrated to the U.S. Navy while the group was in Downey. Understanding the operation principles of RASCAL helped me grasp the features of spread spectrum communications. It should be noted there is no recollection the meaning of RASCAL.
The department had developed a prototype 60 GHz data link system for the Navy for use on the hanger deck of aircraft carriers. At the time, mission data was loaded into the aircraft computers by cable, which apparently was a time consuming process. It was believed a radio link would enable mission data could be loaded more efficiently. Due to atmospheric absorption at 60 GHz, mission data would not extend much beyond the carrier. The Navy was having difficulty operating the system and requested help. Much to my surprise, and delight, I was selected to provide the “help” in resolving the issue. My task was to drive to San Diego Naval Station and be flown to the aircraft carrier which was at sea! This meant I would experience a carrier landing and take-off. However, the day before departure to San Diego, the trip was canceled and never re-scheduled. What a disappointment! But, after recent reading about aircraft carrier landing and take-offs, I may have been lucky the trip was canceled.
In 1967, the Air Force issued a request for proposal (RFP) for a satellite Integrated Communications, Navigation and Interrogation (ICNI) System. Various folks were assigned to write a section on these functions. While several folks were assigned to the Communications function, I was designated the lone “Navigation Expert” for some unknown reason. At the time, only TACAN and Loran were operational aircraft navigation systems (at least that is my recollection). After studying possible navigation techniques, a hyperbolic system was selected. As it turns out, GPS is an inverse-hyperbolic navigation system. This ICNI proposal was one of the first prepared for the department. It was turned into Sam, who reviewed it and “bled” (edited with red pencil) all over it. After about three edits, it was passed to Dr. Parkinson who “bled” all over it again. This was a learning process for proposal writing, painful as it was.
After finishing the Navigation section, I was handed the Interrogation section to rewrite. Either Sam, or Dr. Parkinson, were totally frustrated with this “expert” and gave it to me for rewrite. Attempting to correct this section was a hopeless task. As a consequent, the section was totally written from scratch, without using any of the original sections contents. Best that can be recalled is that the rewrite process was easier than the Navigation section. Either I had learned to write better or Sam and Dr. Parkinson were less critical due to time. I think it may have been the latter. Although we were the selected winner, the procurement was canceled before any contract was awarded. It was a huge disappointment to the department, but we had developed some new techniques in preparing the proposal.
After cancellation of the ICNI procurement, Dr. Parkinson’s department was merged with another communications department headed by Bill Weiss. Dr. Parkinson was placed on Weiss’ staff and subsequently left the company. This merger resulted in our folks moving from the second floor of Building 202 to the first floor of Building 235. Sam Costanza remained my supervisor despite the department merger. North American Aviation merged with Rockwell-Standard in September 1967. The new company was called North American Rockwell. It is unclear if this merger occurred before or after the department merger and move. Based on later events, it seems this merger occurred after our departments merged and moved.
About six months after this merger/move was my entry in the “Black World” of highly classified programs that require additional, special security clearances. Of course, these extra clearances meant filling out more security forms that necessitate revealing all aspect of your life—from your earliest years. Once these forms were submitted there was about a three to four month wait before receiving the necessary clearances. There is a saying that describes this waiting period: “You are like a mushroom, you’re kept in the dark and fed baloney.” Upon declaring I was an “All American Boy”, i.e., passing the background checks, I met with a Special Security Officer (SSO). The SSO explained the nature of the clearance; then I had to sign documents that stipulated revealing any details of the program was a felony. The program details could only be discussed with other cleared personnel. A “special” introduction was required to learn the other project members. All project work and discussions had to be conducted in locked secure area that could only be accessed by program members. Due to this fact, project members had a desk in the secure area and an office in the “open” area. After entering this Black World, over three fourths of my efforts were with this type of project until retirement in 1995. Working in this environment required signing dozens of such documents requiring non-disclosure pledges that can never be revealed due to possible impact on national security. To me, signing these documents was giving my solemn promise to never reveal any details about the various programs. Although knowledge of these programs is at least a quarter century old, revealing the nature or details of these programs would probably result in a felony prosecution. But more importantly, I would be breaking my solemn promise. As a consequence, the remaining discussion of my engineering career will be rather cryptic.
Upon receiving the briefing by the SSO and being introduced to Sam Costanze, I learned the nature of Pronghorn (fake name). Our department had developed a communications data link system, and the customer wanted several more systems. Sam assigned me as Project Engineer (PE) of Pronghorn to build and deliver several production units. There was a minor redesign to reduce the cost of each unit. There were only three of us initially assigned to the program, and after the redesign, the program consisted of a technician, Don, and myself. Don was a knowledgeable technician and was familiar with hardware. Don order the parts, assembled the units and conducted preliminary unit test. Don and I conducted a field test and the acceptance tests. While Don was a good technician, he was possibly an alcoholic because the smell of alcohol was strong. I never saw him drink and his drinking did not appear to affect his work. The program was a fixed price contract, so cost was important. This project taught me about building hardware and successfully conducting acceptance test. We finished the program in less than 15 months. The fixed price contract was based on a 10% profit, but we were able to finish with a 15% profit. There is no recollection when Pronghorn was completed, but after the last units were delivered, Sam assigned me as PE on another contract.
Best that I can remember is that this project began in the Spring of 1972. The program was named Red Robin (fake name). Red Robin was a Department of Defense (DOD) Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) program, and was not a “Black” program. Although it only required the DOD Secret clearance, all engineering personnel were located in a locked room that served as our office and laboratory. This room was in Building 202, while the rest of the department was still located in Building 235. For this reason, it seemed like we were in Siberia. Red Robin was a hardware development program to design, build and test a couple of units. The hardware consisted of a SIGINT receiver and a UHF transmitter. These system functions were housed in a cylindrical housing about nine inches in diameter and ten inches in length. This cylindrical housing, along with a battery, was in the tail section of a four foot long finned vehicle, shaped like a missile. The missile was launched in a manner so that the missile would bury itself in the ground, leaving only a UHF antenna exposed. As such, the electronics package had to survive a 10 G impact load, a very significant design challenge. The purpose of Red Robin was to determine the exact signal characteristics of a specific Soviet Air Defense System. Although the design team consisted of four design engineers, all were top notch. Digital designers were Doug S. and Bob F. Doug also served as the Systems Engineer. Frank W. was the RF designer and Bob R. was the mechanical engineer. Our first unit was the environmental unit, which passed the 10G impact load successfully. Ironically, the second unit was operational when the Yom Kipper War broke out between Israel in October 1973 and Egypt. The Israelis’ captured one of the Soviet Air Defense Systems and the need for Red Robin was eliminated.
During the Spring of 1973, our department was moved back to Building 202 and Sam became the Department Manager. Shortly after moving back to Building 202, Sam re-organized the Department. He removed me from Red Robin since the design was completed and promoted me to RF Unit Supervisor with Roger Moore as my Manager. This promotion was never understood because I had no design experience at all. One of my two best new hires was Ray Hubbard, a graduate of Tuskegee Institute. Strange as it may seem, Ray and I share the same birthday of August 14, except he is younger. Ray did me a favor when he went on to be my son Darryl’s first manager when he joined the group in 1983. Also, in 1973 North American Rockwell became Rockwell International.
In late 1973, or early 1974, Roger made Ray the RF Unit Supervisor and I became supervisor of senior digital designers. This moved was as baffling as the RF Unit but essentially everyone worked on proposals and not hardware designs. Sometime during the year Sam was diagnosed with cancer. Whenever Sam was absent for treatment, Roger was the acting department manager, and I became the acting manager of Roger’s unit. Near the end of the year Sam passed away, and Roger and I did not get along at all. About this time, Frank Gebhardt offered me a Project Engineer position on a new “Black” program. This seemed like a good opportunity to change my environment and transferred to this program, Mountain Goat, in early 1975.
Mountain Goat was a contract with the Iranian military, with Rockwell serving as the Systems Designer. Rockwell prepared specifications for the system elements, but was not allowed to supply any hardware. Each system element, or subsystem, was assigned a Program Manager and Project Engineer. Frank was the Program Manage (PM) and I was the Project Engineer (PE) of the Communications Subsystems. Mountain Goat occupied the entirety of Building 253. I joined the program just after the Christmas break in early 1975. The program had been underway for a couple of months and was still being staffed, including personnel to work in Teheran, Iran. Because so many items have to be established quickly, the overall Program Manager, Bob C., held a staff meeting at 8 AM every day. All subsystem Program Managers and Project Engineers attended this meeting to coordinated our activities. From my perspective, this program was the most dynamic I ever experienced. Then when the in-country personnel were in place, they called the staff meeting to summarize the day’s events in Teheran (11 ½ hour time difference). Either during the phone call, or after the call, action items were delineated by Bob C. or requested by the in-country personnel. This staff meeting continued in this manner for the next six months, perhaps longer. Then in March several of the Program Managers, including Frank, made their first visit to Iran. Prior to this trip, Frank and I had initiated a Communication System briefing which I continued to prepare while he was in Iran. Little did I know that Frank’s trip and this briefing would lead to my introduction to international travel.
While in Iran, Frank visited a small village on the border between Iran and Iraq. During his short visit to this village, Frank acquire amoebic dysentery and became quite ill just prior to returning home. Best that can be recalled, Frank had drunk some spoiled goat milk, or water from a village fountain. After arriving home, Frank recuperated at home for about two weeks before returning to work. After he returned to work, we continued working on the briefing. The plan was for Frank to return to Iran in May to present our communication plan to the project leader, an Iranian. Frank was scheduled to leave for Iran on a Sunday; we reviewed critical points in the briefing. Once we finished, I left for home thinking about Saturday’s Little League games.
We had a full schedule of games that Saturday. Darren was playing on the Blues that I managed, a Minor A team; Darryl was playing on the Orioles, his first year on a Senior Minor team; and Russ was playing his second year on the Reds a Senior Majors team. We had no sooner arrived home, it was about 2 PM in the afternoon when Pat the project secretary called. She said I had to come to work immediately. Frank had a relapse and could not go to Iran, and I was to take his place. Frank had recommended that I brief the General as planned on Thursday the next week. I had received a passport within the past month and had all the necessary medical immunizations. However, I did not have a visa, which was required to enter Iran. Thus, the project had scheduled me to leave Saturday at 8 PM, fly to London, go to the Iranian Embassy in London on Monday and obtain the visa. I quickly told Bev and the family about the unexpected trip, then laid out things to pack for the trip and left for work.
On arriving at work, it seemed everyone was in a panic. Pat gave me the trip itinerary and plane tickets. The company travel department was closed for the weekend, which meant there was no way to advance me at least $3,000 needed for a week in Tehran. Bob M. raided all the cash that could be found to cover some of my expenses for a couple of days and gave me $600 cash. Additional funds would be approved and obtained in Tehran after arriving. Since it would require at least a week to obtain an Iranian visa from the Iranian Consulate in San Francisco, I was also given a letter to present at the London Iranian Embassy to obtain the required visa. After retrieving the briefing, Bob C. reminded me of the importance of the briefing and the proper decorum in briefing the general. Placing all this material in my briefcase, I headed for home.
Once home, packing was finished and everything was ready to go. There is a faint memory that Bev fixed a quick bite to eat before leaving for the airport. Since the drive to LAX was about an hour, it is suspected we left by 5 PM. At the airport, all the “good byes” were said at curbside rather than attempting to find a parking place (I think). Memory is rather fuzzy about checking in, going to the departure gate and boarding the plane. The flight to London was uneventful, plus I slept most of the flight. The flight arrived about 7:30 AM at Heathrow Airport. Best that I can recall, a taxi was taken to a nearby hotel. Once at the hotel, arrangements were made for a taxi for London.
The taxi at the hotel could not take me directly to the Iranian Embassy but let me out at Piccadilly Circus. Now I was able to get a taxi for the Embassy. Entering the Embassy was somewhat of a shock. I entered a large room with people all over the place. Somehow, I was directed to a man at a desk. Maybe there was a line, maybe there was not; it is not remembered. Once it was my turn, I informed him a visa was requested. Then I handed him my passport and the company letter explaining the need for the visa. After reading the letter, a visa was prepared and handed to me. I do not remember any exchange of conversation. The person behind me stepped up to the desk. Now it was necessary to return to Heathrow for my flight to Tehran. The taxi process was reversed, first to Piccadilly Circus, then obtain another taxi to the airport. I made my flight with time to spare. Now it was off to Tehran!
The plane landed in Tehran around 11:30 PM local time. Steepping onto the stairs rolled-up to the exit, an expected smell was noticed immediately. Philon Radio engineers with Tehran experience informed about “jubes”, the open sewers and their distinctive aroma! The odor was pervasive and very strong. It smelled just like a horse stall that had not been cleaned for some time. After entering the terminal, the next step was to go through Passport Control. Standing in line, the fellow in front of me was the well-known TV journalist, David Frost! Presenting passport and visa, I was permitted to enter the country. The terminal was jammed with people, everyone crowding the exit. I had no idea if someone was meeting me, or if I had to hire a cab. Shuffling along with the crowd, someone said, “You must be Royal Price.” Answering in the affirmative, the fellow introduce himself as Hank B. Hank was the in-country Personnel Manager. Hank led me to a car with an Iranian driver. Our personnel were not allowed to drive in Tehran for safety and liability reasons. We headed into downtown Tehran to the Imperial Hotel. At this time, all Rockwell people were staying at this hotel.
Once at the hotel, I met Rich M., the in-country Program Manager. Rich had secured the only room available for me. The room was on the second floor, termed the Mezzanine Floor and was the only room on the floor. Also on this floor were a beauty and clothes shops. After unpacking, I returned to the Lobby to talk with Rich and Hank, then returned to my room and went to bed. It had been a long day, and went to sleep immediately. Showering after waking, I went to the Lobby to meet Rich and Hank for breakfast. It was learned that two US Air Force officers had been shot and killed that morning on their way to their post. Welcome to Tehran in 1975!
Since the general’s briefing was not until Thursday, there were a couple of days with nothing planned. Hank had leased a place, but needed furniture. So, after breakfast, I went with Hank furniture shopping. This trip introduced me to Iranian reasoning process. Hank knew the address for the shop and the driver found the street. The driver found the stores street, but it was a one way only, and we were at the wrong end of the street. No problem. The driver turned the car around, so it was facing the correct way, and backed-up at about 25 MMPH. That was a scary ride to the furniture store. Hank bought some furniture and arranged for its delivery, then we headed back to the hotel.
On Thursday, Rich and I went to Doshen Tappe, the air base located within the Teheran proper. There was a red headed Iranian sergeant sitting at a table at the gate reviewing everyone’s credentials for entry. We were admitted and went to the general’s office building unescorted. It sure seemed strange that a foreigner could walk around an Iranian Air Base unescorted. Entering the building, an enlisted man escorted us to a small briefing room. General T. arrived about five minutes later and Rich made the introductions. The General inquired how Frank was recovering and was glad to hear he was progressing nicely. During the presentation, the general asked very few questions and seemed to be pleased with the presentation. After leaving the building, Rich thought the presentation went well and thought the general was pleased with the briefing. We exited the base and then drove back to the hotel. The Iranian weekend is Friday and Saturday, so there was nothing to do for the next couple of days.
Arriving at the hotel, we learned Frank had sufficiently recovered and would join us in Tehran one Monday. On Frank’s arrival, we conferred with Rich and a second meeting was arranged to have Frank present the briefing to the general. Frank had established a bond with the general, and it was believed repeating the briefing to the general would be positive for the program. The second briefing was established, and Rich, Frank and I went to the air base again. Frank went through the briefing, pointing out the critical factors presented the week before and stating what our plan was for establishing the program’s communications system. During this briefing, the general asked several questions and profusely thanked Frank for the briefing. As a result, Frank took some action items, promising to return in a couple of day with some further detail. We returned to the hotel to discuss and plan what we needed to do to provide the information the general needed about the communication system. We decided that some new briefing charts were needed, but the real question was how? The hotel was not equipped, and we did not have any materials. We discovered a stationary store, of sorts, a couple of blocks away. There we bought some vellum type paper and other necessary supplies to create new briefing charts. We returned to Frank’s room to create the necessary charts.
These charts involved illustrating the communication system throughout Iran. This meant tracing Iran on several sheets of vellum paper and placing the communication stations on the map, with each sheet showing the construction of the system over time. Using my drafting skill, Iran maps were being traced on a coffee table. About two or three charts had been finished when Frank commented there seemed to be a commotion outside the hotel. We went to Frank’s balcony and looked down toward all the noise. Downstairs there was thick black smoke billowing out of the hotel, and there was a fire truck in the courtyard! There was a hotel fire, and we were on the eleventh floor! We had to get out—now! It was hot, no A/C and Frank was in his underwear. While he dressed, I went into the hall to warn other guests. Only one room answered the door. He too was in his shorts, and when I said, “the hotel in on fire and we should get out,” he told me, “we are on our honeymoon!” Returning to see how Frank was doing and gather up our stuff, Frank was fully dressed with all his clothes on. Next to his door was the fire escape, and we started down the stairs. The fire escape was just an open stairway on the side of the hotel. However, these stairs did not reach the ground, they stopped at the Mezzanine floor, which meant you had to re-enter the hotel! Then we discovered the door way was blocked with stacks of extra mattresses, and we could not re-enter the hotel. Looking over the side of the stairs to consider jumping, it was quickly obvious that was not a solution. So, rather than stand on the stairs, we went to the second floor and re-entered the hotel. It was smoky but not real thick, and we started downstairs to the lobby. I took this chance to enter my room and get my passport. I did not want to be caught on the street without it. All the excitement was over when I exited the Lobby in the courtyard. By this time, the fire had been extinguished, and it turned out to be not too serious. It just scared the wits cut of us.
The fire had started in the basement when some large propane cylinders used for cooking had caught fire somehow. Hence the black smoke billowing from the hotel. We also learned from a colleague that the fire truck arriving was like the Keystone Cops. Guess it was quite a sight. Frank and I finished the new charts, and Rick worked some magic to get briefing charts and hard copies, as well as set up another meeting with the general. The general received this briefing and was quite pleased with our presentation. Leaving the building, Frank slipped on the flagstone walk and severely twisted his ankle and could not walk. Not sure how, but our car was brought onto the base to take us back to the hotel. Frank went to see a doctor about his ankle and returned with a pair of crutches. Frank and I were scheduled to leave the next day. During all this excitement, I had gone to a bank across the street from the hotel and obtained $3,00 to pay the hotel bill.
We did not fly straight home. We flew to Stockholm via Frankfort and stayed at the hotel where the Nobel Prizes are awarded. Since Frank had to use the crutches, I was the pack mule carrying his luggage and mine. I stayed only one night in Stockholm, while Frank remained another three or four day. My flight from Sweden landed at JFK in New York; and after passing through customs, it never felt so good to be on American soil again. You have the feeling of wanting to kiss the ground! It felt so good to be home, at least in the country. My next trip to Iran was about three months later and resulted in a new adventure.
The reasons for returning to Iran have been mostly forgotten, but Frank and I had shipped a Laser Voice Communication System for use by the in-country folks. Iranian Military and Secret Police forbid using standard radio systems operated by foreigners. The Laser System provided a secure, undetected voice link from our office to the military base. Our task was to setup the unit and test it. In addition, we were met by Bud C. from Collins Radio in Dallas. Bud was knowledgeable in high frequency (HF) and microwave communications. However, the new adventure occurred on our flight to Iran.
We were scheduled to leave LAX about 8 PM on British Air for London, but when we arrived, the departure had been delayed. Europe had experienced a severe wind storm and several aircraft had been damaged. British Air “borrowed” a 747 from Air New Zealand for our flight, hence the departure delay. It was clear to us that meeting our connecting flight to Tehran was going to be very close and probably not possible. As we approached London, we were instructed to be ready to exit the plane as soon as we landed; our connecting flight was waiting for us. As it turned out, there were another two or three other passengers needing to make the connecting flight. When we landed and the plane was on a taxiway, a pickup truck with a ramp was at the rear door of the plane. We exited the plane, loaded into a van, and were driven to our connecting flight waiting on a taxiway also. We boarded this plane via a loading ramp on a pickup truck too. This incident really made a positive impression about British Air. I suspect they did not go to all this trouble for Frank and me, but for the Iranian woman and her child, or children. Arriving in Tehran, we were told our luggage was not transferred and would arrive a day later. A day in our travel clothes was okay, but we missed contact lens supplies, razors and toothbrushes, etc. There was one more trip to Iran before leaving the program.
This last trip to Iran is forever etched in my memory and will never be forgotten in all its details! No memory exists why we made the trip but events appear as clear as a cloudless day in Jackson Hole. Whatever the reason for the trip, I had been requested to carry a specification for some part of the system to the in-country folks. It was possibly a contract deliverable, but that is a guess. The specification was double wrapped, per program security rules. Security provided a letter explaining the document was classified and its contents could not be viewed by anyone without proper clearance.
My folks were over for Christmas, and I was leaving a couple of days later. Just before they were leaving for home, Dad said, “I’m going into the hospital right after New Year’s Day.” This was the first he had mentioned it, and I asked why? All Dad said was, “My stomach has been grippey, and the doctor wanted to check it out.” He made it sound routine and I did not ask for more details. This was Dad, low key, no big deal. It turned out to be a big deal, but that’s for later.
Our departure to Iran was on time, and we were going to easily make the connecting flight to Tehran without any problems. As we started to board the connecting flight, a Heathrow Security Guard wanted to see the contents of my briefcase. She spotted the double-wrapped specification. She removed it and waved a metal detector wand over it. Well, there was an Acco fastener binding the document which set off the metal detector. Now she wanted to unwrap the package to see what set off the metal detector. Attempts to explain it could not be opened fell on deaf ears. Finally, I presented the letter to her Security had provided. She and her partner read the letter and did not seemed convinced they could not open the package. They finally, reluctantly relented and let me board without opening the packaged document. Whew! Dodged that bullet! It was only going to get worse!
There were some British Air flights to Tehran that made stops in Beirut, Lebanon before continuing to Tehran. We were never booked on these flights because of the Lebanon civil war raging at the time. At least halfway into the flight, I noticed our plane was beginning to descend. Shortly after beginning to descend, the captain announced we were landing at Beirut and provided no reason!! Stopping over in Beirut was unscheduled which took me by complete surprise. “Hijack” raced through my mind. Hi-jack of flights and individuals had occurred at Beirut before during the civil war. After landing, the plane sat on the runway or tarmac, not sure which for sure. After sitting there for some time, two men entered the plane carrying AK-47s. My window seat on the right side, was two-thirds of the way from where the men entered, making it difficult to know what was happening. It appeared they were looking for someone or some item. I was scared, really scared, for two reasons. First, if they were looking for a hostage, I was a target being an American. Second, Security’s letter and the wrapped document would surely identify me as a target. Double wrapped documents would surely highlight the package’s importance. The document security classification markings were in English and Farsi and also identified the project name. Farsi is the Iranian (Persian) language, but has close similarities to Arabic. It looks just like verses from the Koran.
Feeling trapped with no place to hide, what could I do? Options were limited, so I pushed the briefcase as far as possible under the seat in front of me, and I place my passport into my seat pocket. A feeble attempt that would not be effective but anything to delay discovery. The two armed men were on the plane, perhaps 15 minutes, then left and we were free to resume our flight. This final leg to Tehran was uneventful, thank goodness. But the experience was heart stopping and certainly unforgettable!
Three or four days after arriving in Tehran, a group of us were sitting in a mess hall at the airbase when I received a call from Bev. Dad was seriously ill, and I should come home immediately. Our Tehran office had already booked my flights, and I left the same day. I flew from Tehran to Rome to London to LAX. During this era, there were three ways from LAX to home: drive, fly the Disneyland helicopter or fly to Fullerton Airport. All that is remembered is departing the helicopter or airplane Bev and the family were waiting just outside a low chain link fence. Russ believes they met me at the Fullerton Airport where I met them. Once with them, Bev told me Dad had cancer and was not expected to live more than a couple of weeks. Once home, Dad was gone in five weeks. Truly, a trip that will never be forgotten. (Thought has been given about writing an essay on the personal impact on the passing of your parents) Returning to the story of working at Rockwell.
Political turmoil in Iran had a negative effect on Mountain Goat. Shortly after Dad passed away, it was clear that the program was in difficulty, especially the communication plans for the program. I began talking to friends in my previous department about potential openings. Stan K. had moved to Program Management, running a communication hardware development contract. Stan and his manager offered me a position working with Stan. The program seemed interesting and was a hand-held system similar to the Pronghornprogram. The only difference was I would have Program Manager title, not an Engineering title. A transfer was arranged, and I began working with Stan by the Summer. It seemed only weeks since the transfer, when one Saturday in August 1976 while working in the backyard, Bev came out and told me three Rockwell employees had been shot and killed in Tehran. I knew them while working on the Mountain Goat program. After my experience on my last trip to Tehran, it seemed a good decision to leave the program.
We were near completion of our program when an Engineering management position became available. With encouragement from Stan and my boss, I accepted the position and became the Supervisor of a small communications group working in a ‘black” Engineering department led by Alec W. My group had been originally led by Bob C., overall manager of Mountain Goat. Within six to eight months there was a major re-organization that made Alec department manager of my original engineering department. Now I was with all the old familiar faces of people I had known for at least 20 years. This re-organization was the first of a number of re-organizations during the late 1970s, which are a blur. Since this time period has been lost to history, the final result was that my position changed from Supervisor to Mini Manager with three groups Systems, RF and Digital/Software) reporting to me. My group reported to Art Cohen and Art reported to Alec W. My group focused on system engineering and new business for various communication projects.
A strange thing about re-organizations, regardless who reports to who, your job does not change dramatically. You continue working the same projects. Because you continue doing the same tasks, remembering four decades later which organization existed is a blur. Certain events occurred that are remembered, but the question is when. Well, one event can be pinpointed—while reporting to Art Cohen I had a Grand Mal seizure in July, or August 1980. The seizure occurred at the breakfast table just prior to leaving for LAX to fly to Dallas. I was going to Collins Radio to present Art’s IR&D (company research projects) request for the upcoming fiscal year. You may ask, why are you going to Collins Radio if you work at Autonetics? In one of the re-organizations, Art’s Group was transferred to Collins Radio in Newport Beach, but we did not physically move to the Newport facility. When this transfer occurred is unknown, nor what happened to the rest of Alec’s Autonetics department. How long our group remained part of Collins Radio is also a mystery, yet another re-organization returned Art’s group in Autonetics. When did this transfer happen? The date has been lost to history’s dust bin. As a wild, educated guess, this transfer occurred about a year after my seizure in 1980. Shortly after this transfer, Art became Manager of the Engineering Department when Alec W. retired. In addition to Art’s original personnel, some radar units were added to the Department. Not long after becoming part of Autonetics again, I had a major personnel challenge.
John H. had been in the department for over ten years. He was a brilliant engineer, but somewhat on the strange side from a personality standpoint. One day he asked to see me for a meeting. Although I had no idea why he asked for the meeting, another member in my group had hinted John had a serious personal issue. Thus, I knew this meeting was going to challenge me in some unknown manner. John started the conversation by saying that while his wife and children were camping, he put on his wife’s clothes. John said this act convinced him he was a woman, and wanted to pursue a sex change operation! His wife and children left him upon his announcement of his feelings and plans. John had begun to see a “gender change psychologist in preparation for the surgery. This preparation included hormones, electrolysis to remove his facial hair, voice lessons to achieve more feminine voice characteristics and to wear more feminine clothin, but not dresses. John indicated he was looking forward to using the ladies’ restroom and eventually visiting all the ladies’ rooms at Autonetics. Of course, I was stunned and trying to think, “How do I handle this?” I told him that management needed to be informed, because guidance was needed concerning company policy. Further, I told him not to progress any further telling anyone in the department until there was a response from management, and he was expected to do his job and not disrupt the department until I received guidance. He understood and agreed to these conditions. After concluding John’s meeting, I asked Art’s secretary, Karen O., that I needed an urgent personnel meeting with Art for 5:30 PM.
Art had no idea why I asked for this meeting and sat quietly while I went through John’s story. He asked no questions and just listened to the story. However, when I told him about John’s desire to use the ladies’ restrooms during his transition and eventually using every ladies’ room at Autonetics, Art did something totally unexpected. He stood up from behind his desk and went to a corner of his office, sat on the floor and held his head in his hands. Karen came in and saw him and asked what was the matter. Art had me tell her the story. This was one heck of a meeting! Remember, this was the early 1980s and gender transition was rare, very rare!
Cutting to the chase, initially John was given a key to a locked ladies’ room to use and could not use any ladies’ restroom until the surgery. John’s situation was known throughout the department. Most folks just shook their heads and tried to ignore the situation. John had the surgery about a year later and became Joanne H. After the surgery, Joanne was permitted to use the ladies’ room, which caused quite a traumatic shock to the women in the department. Joanne quit the company within a year after the surgery and hired into another defense firm. To complete the story, sometime in the late 1980s, Joanne applied for one of my open positions. It was a wild interview, but she was not re-hired by me or anyone at Autonetics. This story was truly one of the most difficult personnel situation that happened in all my years at Rockwell.
More re-organizations occurred, and Art became the Department Manager at Autonetics. It is believed this happened when Alec W. retired. Although this period is very murky, it is believed Art continued to manage both his group and the Department. Around this time our department began development of various electronic packages for the GPS satellites under development at Rockwell’s Space Division in Seal Beach. I remember talking to Art about summer jobs for college students prior to the summer of 1982. Darryl and Russ were attending California State University at Fullerton completing their Junior year in Engineering. Art secured summer jobs for them, with Russ working in Art’s mechanical engineering group, while Darryl received a job in another department working on ground test equipment for the B1 bomber. Then at the end of this summer, both continued to work on a part time basis while finishing their Senior year and graduating with Engineering Bachelor Degrees in 1983. After graduation both Russ and Darryl hired into Art’s department. Darryl was assigned to Ray H’s RF Design group, while Russ continued working in the Mechanical engineering group. Although we all worked in the same department, they did not work for me in any capacity. I continued to be told by friends that their performance was outstanding! These friends were all excellent engineers themselves, which made a Dad very proud.
At some point after Russ and Darryl came to work at Autonetics, Art’s Group was assumed by Ken Schrader, reporting to Art. Ken had been transferred from Collins Radio in Newport Beach. Whether Art still reported to Collins is not clear, and Ken’s transfer was the result of a pending closure of Collins Newport Beach. My group reported to Ken Schrader. Then another re-organization in which Art was transferred to Program Management because the GPS efforts with Space Division became a major business for Autonetics. At this time, Ken Schrader became the Department Manager. Ken asked me for a recommendation for someone to assume his group, and I recommended Dennis Osgard. Dennis was working for another company and after several conversations Dennis accepted the position and became my boss.
In late 1983, or early 1984, my group submitted a Black World proposal for a hardware feasibility study, named Discovery (fake name). Two feasibility study contracts were issued, we won one of the contracts and Magnavox won the other contract. The customer informed us that one of the two companies would win the hardware development contract. The study contract was nine or twelve month duration, not sure which. The team for this study consisted of our department’s top eight engineers, but not all of them reported to me. At the second monthly customer meeting, the customer chastised us for not progressing enough from our last meeting. The problem was not all of the engineers reported to me and they were assigned other priorities. I went to Ken and told him we were embarrassed and could lose confidence of the customer as well as the hardware development contract. Ken understood and made everyone needed available for the duration of the study. Due to Ken’s decision, the study made excellent progress that pleased the customer. About mid-way into the study, I had an issue involving my upcoming church tour that included a trip to the Soviet Union. I discussed it with the customer believing my trip would have to be canceled. The customer did not have a problem with the trip, but there was a question when I returned.
While on the trip, the customer discovered that Stan K. was leading Magnavox’s study and that Stan and I had worked together when he worked for Rockwell. I was asked if Stan and I had discussed the study with each other. Of course, we had not discussed the study, primarily because neither of us knew anyone on each other’s team. The customer was satisfied with the answer, probably because we both said the same thing. We finished the study around August 1985, and waited for the Request for Proposal (RFP). The Government has a habit of releasing RFPs late in the calendar year, and we received the RFP in December. This meant our Christmas holiday would be compromised, but the Government employees’ holidays would not. The proposal effort was going well when we received bad news. On January 28, 1985, the Space Shuttle Challenger had exploded. Our system concepts utilized a satellite for communications. At the time the Space Shuttle program was the nation’s only means for placing satellites in orbit. Because the Shuttle was a Rockwell program, the customer called within hours of the disaster asking how our program would be effected. Actually, all satellite programs would be affected until the Shuttles could fly again or suitable rockets could be used to launch satellites. The proposal was finished and submitted. About six weeks later the customer asked technical and cost questions. About a month after submitting our answers, the customer announced Rockwell was the contract winner. Following intense negotiations, Rockwell was awarded a $25M contract to develop two different developmental Discovery systems. But wait! While waiting for the Discovery RFP, the Discovery Study Team conducted two additional hardware development studies: Project Excalibur and Project Skyhook (both fake names).
Project Excalibur was another hardware development study with the Discovery customer. This system had to be extremely low power battery operated with long battery life. Project Skyhook was a satellite communication system requiring small, low power transceiver and the satellite electronics package. This later study was for a different customer. During the extended negotiations for Project Discovery, the studies were completed and proposal submitted to the respective customer. Rockwell won both the Project Excalibur and Project Skyhook contracts just as the Discovery contact was finally negotiated. These two contracts totaled about another $25M for the department. Now the department had a staffing issue, where to find the necessary engineers to staff all three programs. Fortunately, another Rockwell re-organization solved most of this issue.
Just prior to the award of the three contract, Collins in Newport Beach was partially sold and the facility closed. Ongoing communications programs were transferred to our department along with engineers supporting those programs. Some Collins engineers retired rather than transfer to Autonetics. The Collins contracts were nearing completion, thereby providing necessary engineers for the new contracts. In addition to a staffing issue, there was a floor space and security issues. These issues were addressed by moving all three contracts to a single building, with only these three projects occupying the building. This building and two of these contracts would be my life until the early 1990s.
After successful field tests for Discovery and Excalibur, I approached Dennis to indicate my desire to work on new business. Working these two programs was entering a new phase, and a change of direction was needed. Dennis assigned me to his staff and Dale H. assumed the management of my group and the remaining portions of these programs. I worked on new business until about 1993, when Dennis left the department, and I was assigned to Dale H. At this time, I returned to project engineering for a limited production contract for one of the Discovery hardware units. Once this project was completed, the department had changed significantly that it was no longer functioning along the same lines as before. Responsibilities were taken to the lowest level, but no one was held responsible for any of the problems that arose. It just was no longer any fun to go to work. So, in January 1995, I retired for Rockwell after over 37 ½ years.
In December 1995, Dale H. contacted me concerning returning to work at Rockwell. I agreed to his proposal, primarily because I missed the friends at work who had been a major part of my work life for over three decades. However, I returned to what Rockwell termed “Flex Force.” My salary was the same as that at retirement, plus my time on Flex Force added to my retirement pay. I began work on a program in which I had gathered the engineering cost estimate, which won the contract. Not long after working this program Dale H. was diagnosed with colon cancer, which required surgery. I returned to his area to gather engineering cost for a limited production program. In late 1996, Boeing purchased the Autonetics and Space Divisions of Rockwell International. Boeing stopped the Flex Force program, and I hired into a Job Shop while continuing to work at Boeing. The only difference between Job Shop and Flex Force was that if more than 40 hours/week were worked, time and a half was paid for the hours over 40. Actually, working both Flex Force and Job Shop was totally different than when I was a Rockwell employee. First, I could select the days I worked, until full time was required. Second, when asked for an opinion based on my experience, whether my recommendation was accepted or not was just fine with me. Finally, department politics was no longer a concern, my position was neutral on what management decided.
Then in January1999, the first bike tour was done in New Zealand. Bike touring was fun, so upon returning to work, I completed whatever the task happened to be and ended my engineering career. By now, about 45 years had elapsed since first joining Rockwell International, nee North American Aviation. When time spent working at Douglas Aircraft, my engineering career has spanned nearly 45 years.
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