Robert L. Carmichael

In 1941, I graduated from High School in Columbus, IN and worked there as a tracer-draftsman for Cummins Diesel Engine Co. until drafted 3/1/1943. After Combat Engineer Basic at Ft. Leonard Wood, was assigned at Lincoln, NE (5/3) to the State Univ. of Iowa (SUI), Iowa City, for ASTP Basic Engineering.

After nine months (2/44), I was assigned to the Army Air Corp: radio mechanics school, pre-radar school, radar school (B-17 at Boca Raton, FL), airborne radar mechanic (B-24 at Langley Field, VA), Signal Corp radar school (Ft. Monmouth, NJ), and radar NCOIC at Ft. Mason, San Francisco, CA. My final assignment (12/45-3/46) was Acting Sgt. Major, Ships Complement, aboard the troopship USAT Sea Ray for a three month Pacific voyage (Saipan, Philippines, Korea, and Okinawa) to redistribute and return troops for discharge. I was discharged as a S/Sgt 3/31/46 at Camp Atterbury, IN, but remained in the inactive AF Reserve. It so happened that I was recalled for the Korean conflict in August, 1950; assigned to a GCA unit at Westover AFB, Mass.; discharged as a T/Sgt. in August 1951 and became a lst Lt. in the Reserves. At age 60, (1983) I retired from the USAF Reserves as a Major.

Civilian life as an engineer included returning to SUI in 1946, marrying Virginia (Ginny) Harris (BSC `47) in March 1948, and graduating with BSEE (Feb. 49) and MSEE (Feb.50) degrees. I joined BTL (Bell Telephone Laboratories) in March 1950 and worked in the military electronics areas. Highlights: member of a small group that developed the first transistor digital computer (TRADIC) in the early 1950s; then took a two year field assignment at MIT`s Lincoln Laboratory outside of Lexington, Mass. to help develop the computer-based SAGE air defense system. My special concerns in the computer programming area were: to design and code the control program; supervise the development of the overall operating system that would handle the various elements of the operational air defense program; and to assemble and test-cyle the first air defense program. Then, after developing the real-time data collection and processing system used by Western Electric to test and certify operational SAGE sectors, I left BTL (8/59) and joined SDC (System Development Corp.) in Santa Monica, CA. Moving Ginny and our two children (Terry Ann and Thomas) across country and settling in Van Nuys was a true learning experience. Cutbacks and challenges in the 1950s saw me also with Litton and the Aerospace Corp. where in 1959 my job was pruned when the MOL project was cancelled. Many challenging assignments in this period included: advanced SAGE; VA Dept. of Medicine and Surgery; various proposals (including a portable ATC system for the Marine Corp.); software validation guidelines for MOL; medical data processing requirements, etc. I also joined the BSA with my son, served as Cubmaster and Troop Hikemaster, etc., and have been either a Commissioner or Member at Large since then (1962-present).

Fortunately, Ginny had started teaching Junior HS math a year earlier and I enrolled (1/70) in a doctoral program at UCLA and also managed their Institute of Library Research while a student. With a Ph.D (6/74), I consulted and then joined the UCLA Graduate School of Management where I taught computer and system based courses, and also managed the north node computing center. Retiring in 1983, I then joined the Business School faculty at CSUN (Calif. State University, Northridge) and taught a spectrum of MIS courses until I retired for good in 1988. The next year we moved to the Central Coast region where we enjoy what it has to offer. Current hobbies include woodcarving, painting, poetry, being active in Mended Hearts (yes, mine is!), birding, genealogy, and various other projects and activities. Aging concerns and problems have curtailed much of our RV travel, camping, hiking, Elderhostels, and other physically demanding tasks, but we are still going places and seeing people. We also enjoy bus tours of various types!

I would like to hear from any of you and wonder if you also feel that those of us still here are not only lucky, but have consciously chosen goals and tasks to help strengthen our country, our community, and our citizenry. This we did in the spirit of carrying on for those others of our generation who were never afforded the opportunity to do so. We are in their debt.