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Simon Ramo

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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)
Santa Monica,California,US
Alma mater
Known forIntercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM)
SpouseVirginia Smith (2 children)
Awards
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions

Simon "Si" Ramo(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.He played prominent roles in the formation of two Fortune 500 companies, Ramo-Wooldridge (TRWafter 1958, now part ofNorthrop Grumman) andBunker Ramo Corporation(now part ofHoneywell).

Early years[edit]

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 Utahat the age of 16, where he joinedTheta TauProfessional Engineering Fraternity and earned a B.S. inelectrical engineeringat the age of 20. By 1936, at the age of 23, he had earned dual PhD degrees fromCaltechinphysicsand electrical engineering.[2]

Career[edit]

General Electric[edit]

From 1936 until 1946, he led electronics research atGeneral Electric,where he accumulated 25 patents before the age of 30 and was cited as one of America's most outstanding young electrical engineers. He became globally recognized as a leader inmicrowaveresearch and headed the development of GE'selectron microscope.

Hughes Aircraft[edit]

In 1946 he returned to California to become director of research for the electronics department ofHughes Aircraft,and his career became coupled with that ofDean Wooldridge.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.

In 1953 Ramo andDean Wooldridgeleft Hughes Aircraft and formed the Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation, later TRW Inc.

Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation (TRW Inc.)[edit]

By 1953 Ramo and the Air Force had become increasingly frustrated with management problems at Hughes. Ramo and Wooldridge were particularly concerned whenHoward Hughesavoided their attempts to discuss the problem. In September they jointly resigned, and within a week they formed the Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation on September 16, 1953.

Three people most directly responsible for the success of the early Atlas program:Trevor Gardner,Bernard Schrieverand Simon Ramo, c. 1956.

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 Neumannand 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.

The Ramo-Wooldridge Corp. became the lead contractor for the resulting Air Force program. With Dr. Ramo as the driving scientific and engineering officer, they succeeded. In 1958, anAtlas rocketdelivered a payload 5,000 miles downrange. The Atlas would go on to serve as the launch vehicle for NASA'sProject Mercuryorbital flights, starting withJohn GlenninFriendship 7.USAF GeneralBernard Schriever,head of the ICBM program, described Ramo as "the architect of theThor,Atlas,andTitan"rockets.

According to a July 30, 2002, article, Ramo's comments are legendary for capsulizing complex ideas into off-the-cuff witticisms.[3]

During a series of key experiments of ballistic missiles in the 1950s at Cape Canaveral, Florida, at which Ramo and Air Force General Bernard Schriever were observers, test rockets kept blowing up 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 merged withThompson Productsto becomeTRW Inc.,and Simon Ramo became Vice-Chairman. In 1964, TRW andMartin Mariettaformed the jointly ownedBunker Ramo Corporationwith Ramo as President, which expanded into the computer and communications technology fields.

In January 2008, he joined the faculty of theUniversity of Southern California'sViterbi School of Engineeringas a presidential chair and professor of electrical engineering.[4]Ramo is also afounding memberof theNational Academy of Engineering.[5]

Awards, appointments and fellowships[edit]

During his long and successful career, Ramo has received numerous awards and fellowships. He has been honored by theAmerican Philosophical Society,theInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers(IEEE), theAmerican Physical Society,and theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Ramo has served as an advisor to the United States government on science and technology. He has been 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 DepartmentandNASA.PresidentGerald Fordappointed 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 Reaganasked 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 Freedomby President Reagan.

In 1982, the IEEE Board of Directors initiated theIEEE Simon Ramo Medalfor 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 FameArchivedSeptember 9, 2016, at theWayback Machine.

In 2007, theSpace Foundationawarded Ramo its highest honor, the GeneralJames E. HillLifetime Space Achievement Award.[6]

In 2009, theTheta Tau Educational Foundationnamed an annual scholarship in his honor.

Additional awards:

Ramo has 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.

Publications[edit]

Ramo has 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:

  • Fields and Waves in Modern Radio by Simon Ramo and John R. Whinnery (1944)
  • Introduction to Microwaves (1945)
  • Peacetime Uses of Space (1959, 1977)
  • Fields and Waves in Communication Electronics (1965)
  • Extraordinary Tennis For The Ordinary Player (1970)
  • The Islands of E, Cono & My (1973)
  • America's Technology Slip (1980)
  • The Management of Innovative Technological Corporations (1980)
  • What's Wrong with Our Technological Society—and How to Fix it (1983)
  • Tennis By Machiavelli (1984)
  • The Business of Science: Winning and Losing in the High-Tech Age (1988)
  • Meetings, Meetings, and More Meetings: Getting Things Done When People Are Involved (2005)
  • Strategic Business Forecasting: A Structured Approach to Shaping the Future of Your Business by Dr. Simon Ramo and Dr. Ronald Sugar (2009)
  • Tales from the Top: How CEOs Act and React (2011)
  • To Wit: A Sense of Humor - A Mandatory Tool of Management (2011)
  • Let Robots do the Dying (2011)
  • Guided Missile Engineering: University of California Engineering Extension Series by Allen E. Puckett and Simon Ramo (2013)
About Simon Ramo
  • Stephen B. Johnson;The Secret of Apollo: Systems Management in American and European Space Programs2002, The Johns Hopkins University Press (ISBN0-8018-6898-X).
  • Davis Dyer;TRW: Pioneering Technology and Innovation since 19001998, Harvard Business School Press (ISBN0-87584-606-8).
  • G. Harry Stine;ICBM1991, Orion Books (ISBN0-517-56768-7).
  • Ernest Schwiebert;History of the U.S. Air Force Ballistic Missiles1965, Praeger Publishers.

Personal life[edit]

Ramo was married to Virginia (née Smith) from 1937 until her death in 2009. They have two sons, James Brian and Alan Martin, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Ramo died on June 27, 2016, at the age of 103.[8]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"FamilySearch.org".FamilySearch.RetrievedJuly 18,2023.
  2. ^"Caltech Commencement Program"(PDF).Caltech Campus Publications. June 12, 1936.RetrievedMarch 29,2013.
  3. ^"Industry Icon Key Matchmaker in Merger of Northrop, TRW".Los Angeles Times.July 30, 2002.RetrievedMay 27,2024.
  4. ^Legendary Engineer Joins USC ViterbiArchivedFebruary 24, 2008, at theWayback Machine,USC News, January 10, 2008.
  5. ^"Founding members of the National Academy of Engineering".National Academy of Engineering.RetrievedOctober 21,2012.
  6. ^"Symposium Awards | National Space Symposium".Archived fromthe originalon February 3, 2009.RetrievedFebruary 3,2009.
  7. ^"Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement".achievement.org.American Academy of Achievement.
  8. ^Peter Pae and W.J. Hennigan (June 28, 2016)."Simon Ramo dies at 103; TRW co-founder who shaped California aerospace".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJune 28,2016.

External links[edit]

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