About

 

GENERAL

 

I was born on November 27, 1928 in Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from John Marshal High School in 1947. I went to Cleveland State University for a year when I was drafted into the United States Army. After basic training I was assigned to a map making unit which sent me to map completion school in Fort Belvoir Virginia. After the army I continued to make maps for several companies in civilian life. Going into aviation full time I flew for various companies in the Eastern United States. Returning to Cleveland I went to work fro the Recording Systems Division of Gould Electronics. I was married to Eleanor Rickey in 1966. We had one son, Eddie. I am currently retired and I volunteer at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration where I demonstrate Amateur Radio satellite communications.

 

 

FAMILY

 

I met my wife (Eleanor Rickey) in college, Cleveland State University. When I was drafted in to the U.S. Army, Rickey went to Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan where she earned a masters degree in Spanish. We were married on August 4, 1966. While I was employed at the Recording Systems Division of Gould Inc. during most of our married life, Rickey was employed as a technical editor for many companies, such as World Publishing, her name is still in Webster’s New World Dictionary as a member of the editorial staff, and the law firm of Thompson Hine. She wrote a Friends of the Court brief in the Board of Education segregation case. She worked for CRC Press where she was a technical editor. Rickey worked for the City of Cleveland. She wrote the Air Quality Report for the city for the year 1976. She was a technical editor for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Because she was a licensed Amateur Radio Operator she demonstrated satellite communications to the public in general and school children in particular. Rickey obtained her Amateur Radio License in April of 1958 (about seventeen years before her husband). Rickey’s call sign is K8JFL.

 

Rickey and I had one son, Eddie. Eddie graduated from Cleveland State University with a degree in business. He works in the computer field and is the owner of Cleveland Computer.

 

 

MILITARY SERVICE

 

I was drafted into the United States Army on February 15, 1951. After Basic Training I was assigned to the 48th Engineering Topographic Battalion. The unit was attached to Army Map Service. I was sent to photo mapping school in Fort Belvoir Virginia where I was trained as a map compiler. I made maps from aerial photographs. I also did surveying to obtain ground control for the aerial photographs used in making maps. My unit, under the supervision of the United States Geological Service, made five 15 minute maps of central Texas. The unit also provided mapping support for Exercise Snowfall in upper New York State. On February 16, 1953 I was released into the Army reserve. In 1958 I was given and Honorable Discharge from the United States Army.

 

 

PHOTOGRAMMETRY

 

I was first exposed to Photogrammetry in the U.S. Army. I was sent to the Engineers School in Fort Belvoir Virginia where I was trained in optical stereo multiplex equipment as well as surveying to obtain ground control for aerial photographs. Returning to my unit (the 48th Engineering Topographic Battalion) I was involved in mapping sections of Texas, Missouri, and northern New York State. Leaving the military service I continued in the field of Photogrammetry with Aerial Surveys of Cleveland, Kucera International of Willoughby, Ohio and American Air Service of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In addition to my normal mapping duties I was responsible for inventorying stock piles of raw materials owned by steel companies through the use of aerial photography.

 

 

AVIATION

 

I first soloed an aircraft in 1949. I worked for a crop duster (Southern Air Service) of Dothan, Alabama. Returning to Cleveland I flew several aircraft, including the Ford Trimotor, out of Port Clinton to the Lake Erie islands. Because of my experience in aerial photography in the military, I went to work for several photogrammetric organizations including American Air Service of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Aerial Surveys of Cleveland, and Kucera International of Willoughby, Ohio. Although still interested in Photogrammetry, I wanted more time in the air and so I went to work for the Dicenzo Construction Company of Calais, Maine. As pilot for Dicenzo Construction I flew extensively through out the eastern United States as far south as Norfolk, Virginia and well into Canada. I also made a trip to Wichita, Kansas to pick up a new airplane as well as returning to Cleveland on occasion. After flying in the north-east I went to work for Eastern Airlines in Miami, Florida. Because I did not want to live in the south (I was assigned to New Orleans) I left aviation to return to Cleveland.

 

 

ELECTRONICS

 

I had in interest in electronics most of my life. I obtained a First Class Radio Telephone License (the license is no longer issued) and an Extra Class Amateur Radio License from the Federal Communications Commission. My radio call sign is WB8ROK. However, because I was traveling so much, due to my pursuit of aviation, I was unable to pursue my interest in electronics. In 1966, however, after leaving full time employment in aviation I went to work for, what is now the Recording Systems Division of Gould Electronics. There I worked in several departments such as Final Assembly, Calibration, Printed Circuit Boards, and Precision Manufacturing. I left Gould in August of 1993. I worked there for twenty-seven and a half years. I have been a member of several radio clubs and currently operate an Amateur Radio Satellite Station at the Glenn Research Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

 

 

N A S A

 

In the nineteen thirties I attended the National Air Races which were held on the West side of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, the present day site of the NASA Glenn Research Center. In 1950, after returning from a flight to Florida, I parked the airplane on the West side of the airport and was given a tour of NASA (at that time it was NACA) by a fellow pilot. Security was not as strict then as it is today. Over the years several radio clubs as well as the American Society of Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing were given tours of NASA Glenn and I participated in many of them. In the eighties, my wife Eleanor Rickey, took a job at NASA Glenn as a Technical Editor. She edited engineering reports before they were published. Since she was a licensed Amateur Radio Operator (K8JFL) she soon joined the NASA Glenn Amateur Radio Club. I was allowed to join the club since my wife was a NASA employee. Through the eighties and into the nineties I regularly attended the NASA Glenn Amateur Radio Club meetings. The club operated a satellite station at the NASA Glenn Visitor’s Center. I was unable to participate in operating the station while holding a full time job, however, when I retired in 1993 I soon became active in manning the station. For many years I also assisted in giving tours of the NASA Glenn Research Lab.