Simon Ramo | |
|---|---|
 Simon Ramo, c. 1950s | |
| Born | (1913-05-07)May 7, 1913 Salt Lake City,Utah, US |
| Died | (2016-06-27)June 27, 2016 (aged 103) |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) |
| Spouse | Virginia Smith (2 children) |
| Awards |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
| Institutions | |
SimonRamo (May 7, 1913 – June 27, 2016) was an American engineer, businessman, and author. He led development of microwave and missile technology and is sometimes known as the father of theintercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). He also developedGeneral Electric'selectron microscope and played prominent roles in the formation of two Fortune 500 companies, Ramo-Wooldridge (TRW) andBunker Ramo Corporation.
Ramo was born inSalt Lake City,Utah, the son of Clara (Trestman) and Benjamin Ramo.[1] His father was a Polish Jewish immigrant and his mother was a Russian Jewish immigrant. He entered theUniversity of Utah at the age of 16, where he joinedTheta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity and earned a B.S. inelectrical engineering at the age of 20. By 1936, at the age of 23, he had earned dual PhD degrees fromCaltech inphysics and electrical engineering.[2]
Shortly after graduation from Caltech, Ramo was hired byGeneral Electric.[3] From 1936 until 1946, he served as section head of the general engineering laboratory and also as head of the physics section of the electronics research laboratory. By the end of World War II, he held twenty-five patents in electronics and was cited as one of America's most outstanding young electrical engineers. He became globally recognized as a leader inmicrowave research and later headed the development of GE'selectron microscope.
In 1946, unhappy with the direction of General Electric, Ramo returned to California to become director of research for the electronics department ofHughes Aircraft, and his career became coupled with that ofDean Wooldridge.[4] Together they formed a successful team for many years, with Wooldridge concentrating on investment and general business aspects while Ramo led research, development and engineering. By 1948, Hughes had created its Aerospace Group to work with the newly createdU.S. Air Force. Dr. Ramo became a Vice-President and the Group's Director of Operations. Ramo employed his skills in Systems Engineering to allow Hughes to deliver integrated RADAR and aircraft fire-control systems. He developed the air-to-air missile, creating theFalcon missile.
By 1953 Ramo and the Air Force had become increasingly frustrated with management problems at Hughes Aircraft. Ramo and Wooldridge were particularly concerned whenHoward Hughes avoided their attempts to discuss the problem. In September they jointly resigned, and within a week formed the Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation on September 16, 1953. In October 1953 an AssistantSecretary of Defense,Trevor Gardner, created a committee to consider the future of guided missiles. ThisStrategic Missile Evaluation Committee (SMEC) was headed byJohn von Neumann and included both Ramo and Wooldridge. In four months, the committee produced their report and recommended that a crash program was needed to developintercontinental ballistic missiles, and that such a program might enable the United States to overtake Russian developments by 1959 or 1960.
With Dr. Ramo as the driving scientific and engineering officer, the Ramo-Wooldridge Corp became the lead contractor for the resulting Air Force program. In 1958, anAtlas rocket delivered a payload 5,000 miles downrange, and the Atlas would go on to serve as the launch vehicle for NASA'sProject Mercury orbital flights, starting withJohn Glenn inFriendship 7. USAF GeneralBernard Schriever, head of the ICBM program, described Ramo as "the architect of theThor,Atlas, andTitan" rockets.[5]
During a series of key experiments of ballistic missiles in the 1950s atCape Canaveral, Florida, at which Ramo and Air Force General Bernard Schriever were observers, test rockets kept exploding on their launch pads. When one missile rose about 6 inches before toppling over and exploding, Ramo reportedly beamed and said: "Well, Benny, now that we know the thing can fly, all we have to do is improve its range a bit." Ramo-Wooldridge later merged withThompson Products to becomeTRW, and Simon Ramo became Vice-Chairman of the company. In 1964, TRW andMartin Marietta formed the jointly ownedBunker Ramo Corporation with Ramo as President, which then expanded into the computer and communications technology fields.
Although Ramo officially retired from TRW and the aerospace industry in 1978, he continued to help lead major space and weapons developments and remained an active consultant to aerospace executives and an advisor to the federal government.[6] In January 2008, he joined the faculty of theUniversity of Southern California'sViterbi School of Engineering as a presidential chair and professor of electrical engineering.[7] Ramo is also afounding member of theNational Academy of Engineering.[8]
Over the course of his career, Ramo received numerous awards and fellowships. He was honored by theAmerican Philosophical Society, theInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), theAmerican Physical Society, and theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Ramo served as an advisor to the United States government on science and technology. He was a member of the National Science Board, the White House Council on Energy R&D, the Advisory Council to the Secretary of Commerce, the Advisory Council to the Secretary of State for Science and Foreign Affairs, and of many special advisory committees to theDefense Department andNASA. PresidentGerald Ford appointed Ramo as co-chairman of a committee of distinguished scientists and engineers, requesting Ramo to list the science and technology issues most deserving of attention by the White House and to recommend actions. Following this, Ramo was appointed by President Ford to be chairman of The President's Advisory Committee on Science and Technology, a position created by Congress to advise on how to ensure that science and technology matters receive proper attention at the White House.
In 1980, then-President-electRonald Reagan asked Ramo to assemble a transition task force to advise on executive branch appointments where science and technology background was desirable. President Reagan subsequently invited Ramo to be a Science Adviser to the President of the Republic of China. In that assignment, Ramo aided greatly Taiwan's development of a strong high-technology industry.
On February 23, 1983, Ramo was presented with thePresidential Medal of Freedom by President Reagan for his contributions to science, engineering, and national defense.
In 1982, the IEEE Board of Directors initiated theIEEE Simon Ramo Medal for exceptional achievement in systems engineering and systems science.
In 1988, Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity inducted Simon Ramo, Lambda (Utah)'33, into itsAlumni Hall of FameArchived September 9, 2016, at theWayback Machine.
In 2007, theSpace Foundation awarded Ramo its highest honor, the GeneralJames E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award.[9]
In 2009, theTheta Tau Educational Foundation named an annual scholarship in his honor.
Additional awards:
Ramo received numerous patents including one at age 100 concerning the use of technology in education making him the oldest American to be awarded a U.S. patent.
Ramo authored dozens of books on topics ranging from science textbooks, corporate and technology management, society's relation to technology, economy, and how to play tennis. A selection:
Ramo was married to Virginia (née Smith) from 1937 until her death in 2009. They had two sons, James Brian and Alan Martin, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Ramo died on June 27, 2016, at the age of 103.[11]
