Retiree News

Following is a message from Jim's son, Mike McGarry:

"All -

With sadness and regret I'm writing to let you know that my dad, Jim McGarry, passed away this evening. He died peacefully and comfortably after spending the last 8 weeks in intensive care battling complications from liver cancer. My dad loved life and wanted to fight to the very end, but I believe he was ready for this day. My mom was a constant and forever hopeful companion by his side through this struggle.

Thank you to each of you for being a friend to my mom and dad.
We are in the process of making arrangements, but feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Kindest Regards,
Mike McGarry (Jim's youngest son)"

From the St. L. Post Dispatch 8/04/2004:
McGARRY, JAMES J. JR., baptized into the hope of Christ's resurrection, Monday, August 2, 2004; beloved husband of Marlene McGarry (nee Aldrich); dear father of Michelle (Joe) Dykes, James J. (Susan) McGarry III & Michael (Melissa) McGarry; grandfather of Matthew, Bridgette, Brian, Katie, Nicole & Madeline. Funeral from the SCHRADER Funeral Home, 14960 Manchester Road at Holloway, Ballwin, Friday, TIME PENDING, to St. Joseph Catholic Church, Manchester. Interment National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to American Cancer Society. Visitation Thursday, 4-8 p.m.

Sorry to have to report that we have been informed that Lloyd Carpenter passed away late last night (Thursday). We have lost a truly wonderful teammate.

Following from the St. Louis Post Dispatch:
"CARPENTER, LLOYD W., Thursday, July 15, 2004; beloved husband of Mary Lou Carpenter (nee Gardner) for 50 years; dear father and father-in-law of Dr. Michael (Guiann) Carpenter, Mark (Pam) Carpenter, Karen (Tom) Migneron and Brian (Stephanie) Carpenter; dear granddad of Cristen, Guy, Joshua, Jessica, Jamilyn, Matt and Ryan; dear brother, brother-in-law, uncle, cousin and friend to many. Mr. Carpenter was a veteran of the Korean War and was part of the space and missile programs for over 35 years at McDonnell-Douglas Corp. He enjoyed good times and will be loved and missed by all who knew him but never forgotten. Visitation 4-8 p.m., Sunday, July 18 at the HUTCHENS Mortuary, 675 Graham Rd., Florissant. Visitation 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., Monday, July 19 at the Liberty Free Will Baptist Church, Hwy C, Marshfield, MO [near Springfield] with a Funeral service at 2 p.m. Interment Liberty Cemetery. Contributions to Charity of your Choice."
(published: 07/17/2004

Retirement has been great!! Work was always a lot of fun, but I think retirement is more fun. Fortunately I've been blessed with good health and have been very active. I retired in 1994. I started at McDonnell Aircraft in 1957 working in the shop on final assembly on the F-101 Voo Doo. Went to college for BSME, and then was an ' Mackanical Injuneer'. Retired in 1994, then did steady consultant work at McDonnell Douglas, and other companies till 1998. Did two consultant jobs in Israel, one of them was requested and funded by the Ministry of Defense Office in Israel. Did another consultant job in Malaysia. Since 1998 I've done part-time consultant work, one of those jobs at Boeing netted me a patent. The patent was issued to me in Dec 2003, my first patent received at age 65. (So guys and girls, remember it is never too late in life to do all kinds of accomplishments. And I know from our luncheon meetings that a lot of you all are very active.

I like motor vehicles, been working with 'collector cars', taking them to car shows, and winning trophies. In the last 5 years I've entered a 'Show Car' in 63 car shows and have won 51 trophies. We have 5 collector cars, (I say 'we' because one of them, a '68 Dodge Charger is my wife Carol's car). They range from a 40 horsepower 1930 Model A Ford to a 875 horsepower 1968 Chrysler 300. I also have my Harley which I ride regularly. Have ridden motorcycles since 1960.

This spring I ran for, and got elected for School Board Director.. Term is three years. I'm in Northwest R-1 school district. The district has 7300 students, 806 employees, and a $59M budget (next years approved budget). This is also enjoyable work - a lot of work, but enjoyable. Have completed training to get my 'Certified Board Member' training certificate, am working on my 'Advanced' training certificate, and after that will go for the 'Master Board Member' certificate.

I've written my Autobiography "My Life & Experiences", a 300 page paperback book. That 'hobby' took three years to complete. I have a couple of chapters in there on my work at McDonnell Douglas. If anyone wants one of these, they are $10 plus $3 for mailing costs, or I can bring copy to our luncheons if you are interested (noweber@juno.com)

I'm very fortunate to have my family, my wife Carol, our 22 year old son Cory that works full time and lives with us yet. He realizes how good he has it at home, he is in no hurry to move out. I also have son Steve, and daughter Vicki, and their families - I have 4 grandchildren - they all live in Arkansas - we visit several times a year. Also my mother is still in good health at age 100, I spend one day a week with her.

I enjoy the 'luncheons' to see and visit with retired coworkers.

Nelson Weber

I have spent too much of the just past 6 months with the doctors at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center here in Houston. It all started in December when, almost by accident, it was discovered that I had a tumor inside of my right kidney which turned out to be Renal Cell Carcinoma. I had absolutely no symptoms. A partial nephrectomy was performed February 10th, which removed the tumor from the kidney with clean margins, i.e., no cancer at the removal incision boundary, and I still have a functioning right kidney. I had some complications after the surgery when some small arteries within the kidney which were sealed off as a part of the tumor removal decided to open up. The bleeding was stopped with plugs inserted into these small blood vessels via a catheter inserted into my femoral artery. This was done in two separate procedures. The bleeding was pretty severe as I had to have a total of 9 units of blood. I have recovered from all of this kidney repair and I am thankful that I still have 2 working kidneys. There was no need for any follow up radiation or chemo.

Just prior to the time we stumbled onto this kidney thing, a different tumor was found on my right Parotid gland (salivary gland in front of and below the ear). My local ENT here in the Woodlands did a fine needle biopsy and the pathology indicated that it was a non malignant tumor, so I postponed its removal after we discovered the Renal Cell tumor. After I recovered from the kidney surgery, I decided to have the M. D. Anderson guys remove the Parotid tumor, and part of the their workup was another biopsy. They used ultrasound to assist in getting the needle in the right place and found that this tumor was a rare, but low grade malignancy called Acinic Cell Carcinoma, and I had it removed May 24th, along with 10 lymph nodes in the immediate area. The pathology was good in that there were clear margins and the lymph nodes were clear. However, this tumor type tends to return if only surgery is used. So, I'll have to have a fairly long course of radiation to kill off any residual cancer cells. The radiation lowers the recurrence probability to around 10%.

So, I'm in good shape for the shape that I'm in. I'm also very fortunate to be located in a city with the best cancer center with most knowledgeable doctors and the best equipment in the world, and together we'll watch for any recurrence so we can get it early.

Best regards,
Clarence Howard

Burton "Burt" Sorkin
Engineer, accordion player
Worked at MDC as Ground Support Equipment designer on Skylab Program

Burton Sorkin spent years toiling over problems as a civil engineer, but he was better known as an accordion player who spread hope and joy.

Burton Sorkin died Thursday (March 4, 2004) at Missouri Baptist Medical Center of complications of kidney disease. He was 80 and lived in Creve Coeur.
Mr. Sorkin was born in St. Louis. When he was 12, his parents gave him an accordion to help him overcome his bashfulness.
Mr. Sorkin received a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He worked for Standard Oil of Indiana, first in Chicago and later in Wood River. In the 1960s, he joined McDonnell Douglas Corp. and designed ground equipment that launched the Skylab space projects.
About 30 years ago, he helped found Hashemesh, an Israeli folk music quintet. The group plays at bar and bat mitzvahs, weddings, festivals and at benefits for Jewish agencies.

Seven years ago, he suffered a stroke. He made progress walking but lost movement in his fingers for weeks. In an article in the Post-Dispatch, he recounted how he had spent hours in his hospital bed at Barnes-Jewish Hospital willing his fingers to move. Finally, at 2 a.m. one day he got a flash of movement in a finger. With therapy, he was able to play on an electronic accordion that was less demanding than a manual one.

Three years later, he began returning to the hospital's stroke rehabilitation unit to play for patients and staff. He talked about stroke survivors living with both acceptance and hope. "When he asked how many patients could raise their hands high, not many could," said Bea Sorkin, his wife of 53 years. "He told them that he once had been like that, too."

Mr. Sorkin was buried Friday, March 5 2004 at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in Chesterfield.

In addition to his wife, among the survivors are three sons, Murray Sorkin of Creve Coeur, Jerry Sorkin of Philadelphia and Chuck Sorkin of Austin, Texas; a sister, Libby Sorkin Routman of Creve Coeur; and four grandchildren.

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3/3/04
Rick McGee is at home recovering from a stroke suffered last fall. Rick has reported that he is able to receive phone calls and would like to hear from his old teammates. Rick's home phone is 636-532-3674.

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3/3/04
John C. Lunow died February 28, 2004.
John Lunow worked in the Aircraft division and was a structural engineer. Some of the many programs he worked on include the DC10 program and before retiring, the A12 & ATF programs.

The following from the St. L. Post Dispatch:
"LUNOW, JOHN C. At peace with his Savior on Saturday, February 28, 2004; beloved husband of Sally Luno (nee Olmstead); dear father of Timothy J. Lunow and Todd M. Lunow; dear son of Adele Lunow and the late Elmer Lunow; dear brother of Arlene Kolander; dear uncle, great uncle, cousin and friend.
Visitation Wednesday, March 3, 2004 from 10:00 am until time of service at 11:00 am at Martin Luther Evangelical Lutheran Church, 10151 Sappington Road, St. Louis, MO 63128.
If desired, memorials suggested to Martin Luther Evangelical Lutheran Church Endowment Fund or The American Cancer Society.
A service of KRIEGSHAUSER WEST Mortuary. 9450 Olive Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63132 314-994-3322."

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Bob Duvall had triple bypass open heart surgery in May 2003. He is doing great and was at our last lunch meeting with wife Kathy. Bob & Kathy are going on vacation in March to Hawaii for two weeks. Have a great time, Bob & Kathy! _

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02/06/04
Robert (Bob) Leahy passed away Friday, Feb 6, 2004 in St. Charles, MO
From the St. Louis Post Dispatch:
"LEAHY, ROBERT J., fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church on Friday, February 6, 2004; loving husband of Shirley (nee Eberhard) Leahy; beloved father of Michael (Claire) and Thomas (Cherie) Leahy, Kathleen (Terry) Lewis and Patricia White; dearest brother of Norbert (Marlene) Leahy; dear grandfather of 8 and great-grandfather of 1; our dear uncle, brother-in-law, cousin and beloved friend of many.
Mr. Leahy was a maintenance electrician for McDonnell Douglas Corp, member of Local One IBEW and the Knights of Columbus.
The Stygar Family of Funeral Service is caring for Robert's family. Funeral service 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, February 10th from STYGAR MID RIVERS Funeral Home, 5987 Mid Rivers Mall Drive, St. Charles to St. Joseph Catholic Church of Cottleville for 10 a.m. Mass. Interment Oak Grove Cemetery, St. Charles. Memorial contributions may be made to the Kidney Foundation, Diabetes Foundation, American Heart Association or Masses. Visitation Monday 3-9 p.m"

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01/30/04
Ray Brown - an email from Ray about his life in retirement
I was recently talking to Jan Longshore and she was telling me about the MAC's Old Team and gave me the web address. Please add me to the member list.
I retired in the big retirement of February 1987. I traveled for three years before I was called and asked to come back as a Contract Engineer. Since then I have been working off and on for the last fourteen years as a Contract Engineer for various projects at McDonnell Douglas/Boeing. I have worked about six and a half years since 1990. In the off years, some by my self retirement to go traveling, my wife Rose and I have traveled pretty extensively. We have a Motor Home and have visited Alaska twice for a total of about seven months going there and back. We have been on two Motor Home Tours to Mexico and have spent about five months going there and back. We have spent about three months on Motor Home trips to The Canadian Provinces and we have traveled extensively throughout the USA, mostly in our motor home. We also have spent about three weeks in Hawaii, five weeks in Australia and four weeks in New Zealand. Actually going back to work between trips has almost been a relief as well as replenishing our travel budget funds. It has been very nice to remember all of you that I have worked with and are part of the Old Team but I am shocked at number of old friends that have passed on. I hope to be able to come to one of the lunches when I can work it into my busy schedule as I have just recently started back to work on the Future Combat Systems program at Boeing. Feel free to email me a give a call.

A. Ray Brown
314-232-4374 (work)
618-235-2174 (home)
ray.brown3@boeing.com (work)
rrb1949@peaknet.net (home)

02/22/04
Logan T. MacMillan Memorial Feb 28, 2004

A memorial gathering will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 28 for Logan Tompkins MacMillan, project manager for the old McDonnell Aircraft Corp.'s Mercury space capsule, which carried the first American into space.
The gathering will be at Mudd's Grove at 302 West Argonne Drive in Kirkwood following a private burial at Forever Oak Hill.

Logan Tompkins MacMillan, project manager for the old McDonnell Aircraft Corp.'s Mercury space capsule program that sent the first American into space, died Dec. 27, 2003, of lung cancer at his retirement home in La Jolla, Calif. He was 82.

A longtime resident of Kirkwood, Mr. MacMillan moved to California in 1977 after his retirement from what by then had become McDonnell Douglas Corp.

After graduating from Washington University in 1943 with a degree in mechanical engineering, Mr. MacMillan married the former Suzanne Medart. They were married for 49 years, rearing four children, before her death in 1992.

While in college, Mr. MacMillan enrolled in the Civil Pilot Training program. He later enlisted in the Navy's Officer Candidate School and became a pilot. In World War II, Mr. MacMillan was a member of a night fighting squadron, flying off the aircraft carrier Enterprise. He was among the first to attack the principal islands of Japan and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.

After the war, Mr. MacMillan joined McDonnell Aircraft as a test pilot, later becoming the chief test pilot. He then joined the aeronautics and space divisions, where he was chosen project manager for the Mercury spacecraft.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's publication on the history of Project Mercury says: "When the prime contract for Mercury was awarded to McDonnell, the corporation's vice president for project management, David S. Lewis, assigned Logan T. MacMillan, a tall, tactful test pilot and mechanical engineer with a winning manner, to be companywide project manager with authority to mobilize the resources of the corporation for the new venture."

McDonnell built 20 Mercury capsules, including Freedom 7, which carried Alan B. Shepard Jr. in America's first space flight in 1961, and Friendship 7, in which John Glenn Jr. circled the Earth three times in 1962.

McDonnell Douglas Corp. was merged into the Boeing Co. in 1997. Lawrence Merritt, historian for Boeing in St. Louis, recalled Mr. MacMillan.

"Logan was very popular, very well-spoken, very outgoing," Merritt said. "In the 1950s, as chief test pilot, he would go out to local schools and give talks. In the early days of TV in St. Louis, Logan, because of his looks, was on television a lot. He looked like a test pilot was supposed to look.

In his retirement, Mr. MacMillan joined other former executives in a Small Business Administration program that advised small and start-up businesses. He also enjoyed sailing, traveling and woodcarving.

Among the survivors are two daughters, Mary Blaine Korff of Tucson, Ariz., and Susan Rien of Fair Oaks, Calif.; two sons, Douglas MacMillan of La Jolla and Logan MacMillan Jr. of Denver; and nine grandchildren.

Mr. MacMillan will be interred Feb. 28 at Forever Oak Hill in Kirkwood.

01/10/04
GEORGE W. SPIRES died 09 Jan 2004, at age 74
from the St. Charles,MO Journal: "George Wells Spires, 74, of O'Fallon died Jan. 9,2004, at Breeze Park Nursing Home in St. Charles County. He was born Nov. 22, 1929, to Buell and Irene Spires in BelIflower.
"Mr. Spires was a development supervisor who had been employed by McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis for 37 years.
He is survived by two daughters, Leanne Nanney of O'Fallon and Lynne Barr of O'Fallon; one brother, James of Montgomery City; five grandchildren; and one great-grand-child.
He was preceded in death by his wife Jo Ellen Spires; his parents; and one grandson.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Jan. 12 in Wellsville City Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Jan. 11 at the Baue Funeral Home in O'Fallon.
Memorials may be to the American Heart Association
c/o Baue Funeral Home, 311 Wood St., O'Fallon, 63366.

12/16/03
J. ROBERT (Bob) BURTON passed away at home 15 Dec 2003 in the afternoon.

The following obituary from the St. Louis Post Dispatch 12/17/03:
BURTON, J. ROBERT 'BOB',Monday, December 15, 2003; beloved husband of Shirley Burton (nee Fullerton); dear father of Greg (Sharon) Burton and Becky (Michael) Andert; grandfather of Lexa and Greer Burton and Rachel and Gregory Andert, Carrie (John) Keen and Russ Andert; dear brother-in-law, uncle, great-uncle, cousin and friend to many.

Memorial service at the SCHRADER Funeral Home, 14960 Manchester Road at Holloway, Ballwin, (636-227-5511) Thursday, 7:00 p.m. Interment private.

If desired, contributions may be made to Habitat for Humanity, c/o Manchester United Methodist Church.

Memorial visitation Thursday, 4 p.m. until time of service.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to:
Habitat for Humanity
c/o Manchester United Methodist Church
129 Woods Mill Rd - 63011

PLEASE PASS ON THIS INFO TO FORMER TEAMMATES WHO WOULD LIKE TO PAY THEIR RESPECTS.
Please keep the Burton family in your prayers

12/13/03
George Kohout retired from BAC on 1 Aug 2003. George and his wife have taken up residence in Phoenix, AZ because it doesn't snow in the winter and there is no requirement to shovel snow in the 110 deg. summer heat. George can be reached at roosterg@att.net and welcomes news from his many ex-teammates.
George, welcome to the great retiree group "MAC's Old Team", and keep in touch.

12/10/03
J. R. "Bob" CALDWELL dies 9 Dec, 2003
Lynn Caldwell called Arnie Saaf to say that Bob had died at 5:30 this evening. I saw him yesterday and he was very bad. Please share this with his gang.
Arnie.

Obituary from Post Dispatch Thurs. 11 Dec 2003
CALDWELL, J. ROBERT 'BOB', passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2003; beloved husband of Lynne Caldwell; dearest father of Elizabeth Caldwell and Julia Caldwell; dear brother-in-law of Teddy Kestner; dear uncle of Ari and Justin Kestner and Kristine (Mark) Barlum. A Memorial Service will be conducted at the LUPTON Chapel, 7233 Delmar Blvd., University City, on Friday, Dec. 12 at 10:30 a.m. The family will receive friends at Lupton, Friday morning beginning at 10 a.m. Private committal. In lieu of flowers, memorials appreciated to St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church, 3854 Flad, St. Louis, 63110 or to the Dystonia Foundation, c/o B. Cataldo, 5532 Delor, St. Louis, 63109.

11/16/03
JOE TRAMMEL -- A LETTER FROM JOE TO OLD TEAMMATES, FRIENDS AND FAMILY
(Note: Many of you will remember Joe Trammel. He worked in Manufacturing at MAC on the Mercury, Gemini, Harpoon, Skylab, Tomahawk, and Advanced Cruise Missile programs. He is a true "MAC's Old Teammate", and a valued friend of all who had the pleasure of working with him at both the St. Louis and Titusville facilities.
Prior to retiring, he was Manufacturing Senior Manager on the Advanced Cruise Missile at Titusville. Now in retirement, Joe and Ruth currently live at Merritt Island, FL. Joe would enjoy hearing from friends and old teammates. His current email address is "joe trammel@earthlink.net")

--------Following is Joe's letter---------

Hello to all, Joe asked me to help him write a letter to his many friends and family. He said he knew what he wanted to say but did not know how to put it into the right words. We mailed some letters, but decided to send the rest by e-mail and cut down on the stamps. Joe is accepting his condition fairly well at this time, although, we are both believing that 'if' it be God's will, that he will receive a miracle healing. We will be moving back to St. Louis in March to be closer to all our children. When that time comes I will let you know our new address and e-mail. I copied and pasted the letter in case not everyone has Microsoft Office on their computers.
God bless you all!
Ruth and Joe
------------ October 8, 2003

My Dear Family and Friends:

My physician has informed me that I have a neurological disorder whose symptoms are consistent with Alzheimer’s disease. So---I wanted to prepare a few words for you now, because if or when the time comes, I may not be able to.

For now, I’m not changing anything. I’ll insist on my independence, doing the best I can to perform my duties to my wife, my home and lending a helping hand to our church, friends or anyone that I can help; the doctors will insist on ‘rest” when I must. If you see a little less spring in my step, if your name fails to leap to my lips, you’ll know why. And if I tell you a funny story for the second time, please laugh anyway.

I’m neither giving up nor giving in. I believe I’m a fighter same as Charlton Heston, Ronald Reagan and many others were and are. But it’s a fight I must someday call a draw unless God has other plans for me. I must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure. Please feel no sympathy for me. I don’t. I just may be a little less accessible to you, despite my wishes.

I also want you to know that I’m grateful beyond measure. My life has been blessed in many ways. I’m grateful that I was born in America that cradle of freedom and opportunity, where an Okie from Oklahoma could work hard and make a good living. I’m grateful for my wonderful friends that have given me an ‘unconditional’ love. I’m grateful for the gift of the greatest words ever written…my Bible.

Above all, I’m proud of my family --- my wife Ruth, the Queen of my heart, my children, David, Debra, Chris and their Mother, Sue, which shared some of my happiest moments bringing our children into my life. They’re my biggest fans, my toughest critics and my proudest achievement. Through them, I can touch immortality. I am proud and thankful for my stepchildren, Kathy, Ric, Tom, Roger and Jim, all my Step-Grandchildren, Becky, Chrissy, Wendy, Mandy, Kelly, Erica, Melissa, Melanie, TJ, Tim, Jimmie, Ana, Trinity and my one Step Great-Granddaughter Haley, whom have all accepted me into their family with a loving and respectful heart.

Finally, I’m confident about the future of America. I believe strongly in God. I know the future of our country, our culture and our children are in God’s hands. I know you will continue to meet adversity with strength and resilience, as our ancestors did, and will come through by God’s wonderful love and grace. And you will come through with flying colors ….. Like the ones on Old Glory.

I will leave you with these words; I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and committed my life to him. He is my Savior, my first love, my Comforter, my Friend, the Rock I stand on, and my Redeemer. He promises not to give me more than I can handle and that He will never leave me or forsake me. “Greater is He that lives in me, than he that lives in the world. 1st John 4:4.” When the time comes for me to say my last good-bye, please smile and be happy for me. For my next journey will be to God’s Kingdom with a ‘perfected’ body and mind, and I will walk the streets of gold with my brother, Jesus Christ---PRAISE GOD!

I PRAY WE WILL ALL MEET THERE!
Our Father which art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
Forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom,
The Power,
And the Glory forever.

Amen

Luke 11:1

I love you all and God bless each and every one of you.

Joe Dee Trammel
11/02/03
RUSS RAMBERGER RECOVERING FROM LUNG SURGERY
Russ Ramberger is recovering from recent lung surgery. A CAT scan and subsequent tests revealed a cancerous tumor which necessitated removal of his left lung. Next month he will begin a sixteen week program of chemotherapy and radiation treatments to reduce the risk of the cancer spreading or recurring.

Russ's medical advisor,"Wild Bill" Mayfield advised Russ he was still smoking because he was convinced that if he quit his lungs couldn't take the shock. Russ says this theory makes him question his decision to quit smoking over 18 years ago.(not really).
Hang in there Russ, we know you will have control of this. We will have you in our thoughts and wish for you a rapid recovery. Hope to see you at the next meeting.

10/20/03
CAPT. PEVERIL "Pev" BLUNDELL dies October 9, 2003 at Peachtree City, GA
Pev can probably best be remembered by the Harpoon community as the Commander of the Naval Weapon Station, Concord CA. Upon his retirement as a Captain (he was USNA Class of '53) he went to work at the McDonnell Douglas Missile Systems Company in the Logistic Support Division.
He was only with the Company for a relatively short time, he suffered a stroke which ended his career. While in the St. Louis area he lived in Ballwin.

ROBERT E. SCHWARTZ (Bob) died May 18, 2003 in St. Louis
Bob is survived by his wife Betty. He is the father of Rebecca Fette, Barry Schwartz, William Schwartz, and Barbara Tirdell. He is the brother of James and Herbert Schwartz, the grandfather of 9 and great grandfather of 4.

Bob Schwartz was a Class of 1947 graduate of the Naval Academy. He retired in 1985 as an engineer from McDonnell Douglas. He was a member of the Bonsai Miniature Tree Society of Greater St. Louis and the South County Art Assn.

8/13/03
JAKE JACOBSEN passes away August 10, 2003
Jake passed away 10 August in Phoenix. He was diagonised with lung cancer 29 May and started chemo but complications got him. His funeral will be Friday the 15th at the National Memorial Cemetary in Phoenix.

He is survived by two daughters and a son, and his wife Susan who lives at 8502 West Foothill Drive, Peoria, Arizona 85383. Jake was a USN pilot in F-4's over Vietnam, A test Pilot for the USN at PMTC where he took some nice pictures below 50 ft of Harpoon and target ships. Later, he came to McDonnell-Douglas as T&E for SLAM & AAAM.
Susan's E mail is: AZears4u@aol.com
I'm sure she would appreciate a note.
The above information provided by Clarence Trachsel

7/24/03
FRED G. "Freddie" DECKER passes away July 20, 2003
Freddie was the foreman of the XP shop. He lived in Wildwood, MO.
The following obituary from the St. Louis Post Dispatch:
DECKER, FRED G., baptized into the hope of Christ's resurrection, Sunday, July 20, 2003; beloved husband of Dorothy M. Decker (nee Lynch);dear father of Barbara (Terry) Ferrin & Janet (Ronald) Bonnell; grandfather of Steven (Sheila), Brian, Jeff & Craig (Jen) Walk, Meagan & Toby Bonnell; great-grandfather of Alex Walk; dear friend to many. Funeral from the SCHRADER Funeral Home, 14960 Manchester Road at Holloway, Ballwin, Thursday, 9 a.m. to St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church, for 10 a.m. Mass. Interment Calvary Cemetery. Visitation Wednesday 3:30-8 p.m.

7/17/03
JOE SZOFRAN
Mac Old Team friends, we have lost another great friend and Teammate. We were saddened to learn today of Joe Szofran's passing.

The following information was provided by Joe and Ruth Trammel:
"Joe was a wonderful person and a long time friend and will be missed by all his Teammates whom have great memories of their years working together at McDonnell Aircraft (Douglas).
I talked with Joe's wife, Alice, and Joe had been in the hospital 3 or 4 weeks with kidney failure, he was put on dialysis for awhile but his blood pressure got so low they had to take him off the dialysis. Gradually everything quit functioning and he passed away Friday morning, July 11th. Joe battled cancer for 2 or 3 years, he was 72 years young.

He will be laid out at:
Ascension Catholic Church
2950 N. Harbor City Blvd (that is Hwy 1)
Melbourne, FL 32935

Viewing will be on Friday, July 18th from 5 - 8 pm.
Funeral service on Saturday, July 19th at 11:00 am
Burial at St. Joseph Cemetery in Palm Bay, Florida.
Obituary in Florida Today paper 7/15/03:
JOSEPH SZOFRAN, Sr.
MELBOURNE -- Joseph P. Szofran, Sr., 72, of Melbourne, Fla., died Friday, July 11, 2003 at Holmes Regional Medical Center. Mr. Szofran was born on November 21, 1930 in St. Louis, Mo., and moved to Melbourne in 1962. He served in the U. S. Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict. Prior to his retirement, he was an engineer for McDonnell Douglas Aerospace in Titusville for 42 years. He was a member of the Ascension Catholic Church in Melbourne and the Boy Scouts of America. Surviving are his wife of 52 years, Alice Szofran of Melbourne; three sons, Joseph (Kim) Szofran, Jr. of Melbourne, Tony (Brenda) Szofran of Palm Bay and Paul Szofran of Savannah, Ga.; daughter, Ann (Tom) Brehm of Honolulu, Hawaii; sister, Lou (Don) Stengel of St. Louis, Mo.; sister-in-law, Elinor (Tom) Moore of St. Louis, Mo.; and five grandchildren. ''He was a dear uncle, nephew, cousin and friend.'' Friends may call from 5 to8 p.m. on Friday, July 18th, at Ascension Catholic Church in Melbourne. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 19th, at the church. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery in Palm Bay. Arrangements are under the direction of Davis-Seawinds Funeral Home in Melbourne.

6/15/03
J. C. THOMAS
The following update was provided by J. C.'s daughter Deidre:
"My dad was moved to St. Luke's Surrey Place on Olive St. Rd in Chesterfield on Monday, June 9th. He's in room C14- Ph.#314-542-3431.
He's doing good in PT and hopefully will be able to come home at the end of next week.
Sat. is our graduation party for Ashley, and we're going to see if we can "spring" him for awhile for that. Not sure they'll let us, tho. His spirits seem to be better. Just wanted to keep everyone in the loop.
Deidre"

6/15/03
BOB PERKINS is convalesing at home after surgery.
Bob had Colon surgery (not cancer) about a week ago at St. John's Hospital and is now at home. The good news is that he is feeling pretty good. He says, however, that the surgeon could not do anything about improving his golf. He said the only way to improve his game is cut the head off and throw it away but Bob thinks that is a little drastic. Maybe he can study all those golf tapes and try to break a 100 when he returns to the links soon.

He wants to share one thought with you all: "our health delivery system worked and I may be around for a few more years because of it, the care I received at St Johns was wonderful."

Good luck Bob, and we'll be waiting for you on the golf course!

6/15/03
CHARLES F. "Chuck" JAHN passes away June 5, 2003.

Chuck Jahn died of a heart attack in Jasper, IN while enroute from Maine to his home in Ava, MO. He had been to Maine for a much anticipated wedding of his grandson. A memorial service was held 14 June at the United Methodist Church in Ava MO. Chuck was 81 when he passed away. He was born in Chicago, received a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from Parks Air College in 1942, was in the military as a flight engineer 1943-1946, and went to work at McDonnell Aircraft Co. after that. He has a very successful career at MAC, and MDC, as an engineering leader on many programs. He was a key design group leader on the Mercury spacecraft. Chuck is survived by his wife Julie of Ava, MO, several children and grandchildren.

6/9/03
HENRY V. "Hank" WALDEN passes away June 7, 2003 at St. Louis, MO

Henry Walden passed away 7 June. Henry was one of our regular lunch pals and will be missed. Henry was not only a great engineer but one of God's best here on earth. Henry will be missed. A memorial service will be held Tues. 10 June, 10:30AM, at Laclede Groves Chapel, 723 S. Laclede Station Road.

Following from Post Dispatch 9 June
WALDEN, HENRY V., Sat., June 7, 2003; dear husband of Georgia M. Walden (nee McGinnis); dear father of Henry D. Walden and Michael J. Walden; dear brother of Thomas L. Walden, James M. Walden and the late Dixie G. Walden; dear grandfather of Stephen N., Katherine M. and Michael Henry Walden; dear father-in-law of Patricia H. and Maria G. Walden. Mr. Walden was a long time McDonnell Douglas engineer, a tireless Volunteer at St. John's Mercy Medical Center and Laclede Groves' Clinics and Convalescent Home and the President-elect Lutheran Convalescent Home Auxiliary Board. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Lutheran Convalescent Home Auxiliary Benefactor's Fund, 723 S. Laclede Station Road, Webster Groves, MO 63119. Memorial service Tues., June 10, 10:30 a.m. at Laclede Groves Chapel, 723 S. Laclede Station Rd. Private interment at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. Arrangements by BOPP CHAPEL.

5/28/03
LEONARD J. PACE passes away May 25, 2003 at Titusville, FL

The following obituary is from the Florida Today newspaper. There will also be an informal memorial in St. Louis on Saturday May 31st at Buckholtz Funeral home on Redman Road in Spanish Lake between 5-7 pm.

"TITUSVILLE -- Leonard J. Pace, 61, a production Control Manager for McDonnell-Douglas, passed away Sunday, May 25, 2003 at Parrish Medical Center. Mr. Pace was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann Pace; daughters, Roxanne Pace, Christine Pace, Rebecca Pace Preston and Katie Pace; five grandchildren; four sisters, Jo AnnDeiermann, Annette Chamblin, Rosemary Pace and Margaret Ann Eliason; mother-in-law, Geneieve Heckethorn; and sister-in-law, LindaHeckethorn. A gathering of friends will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 28th, at North Brevard Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Leukemia Society of America, Central Florida Chapter, 3101 Maguire Blvd., Suite 225,Orlando, FL 32803. North Brevard Funeral Home in Titusville is in charge of arrangements."

The above information provided by Ruth & Joe Trammel

5/5/03
BOBBIE SHARRAH dies 14 Apr, 2003 in Denver CO.

SHARRAH, BOBBIE (SANDER), of Denver, CO, passed April 14, 2003; loving father of Stephanie Steinmann and the late Krag Sharrah; former husband and best friend until death of Maxene Whitehead Sharrah; brother of Beth (Marvin) McNeel; grandfather of Connor, Brendan and Amy; uncle of Sandy, Jon and Chele. Private memorial service Fri., April 25, 2003. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to American Heart Assn. or the American Cancer Society.

GEORGE MUSSMAN dies 4 May, 2003
The following information about George Mussman's death was provided by Lawson Hart

Please pass to former Harpoon program team members.

I am sorry to report that George Mussman died on Sunday, 4 May. His wife Gene has informed me that visitation will be held Thursday evening 8 May at Baue Funeral Home, 311 Wood Street, O'Fallon, MO, from 6 to 8 PM followed by a service at 8 PM.

George led the Harpoon submarine programs prior to his retirement from McDonnell Douglas several years ago.

Lawson Hart
Boeing Naval Missile Launch Systems

4/1/03
CARL TRAUTMANN
Dear old time MAC friends and colleagues,
I read with great interest the news from and about former teammates and the events of the group. Congratulations to Norm and Earl for the outstanding web site with in-depth content. It certainly is newsworthy and informative. In addition, it was good to reminisce about former times and remember the exciting events we all were privileged to participate in. Thanks to Dave Shean, I am reconnected to the web site again. The April luncheon conflicts with another activity, yet I am trying to reschedule. Working at MAC has been a life fulfilling experience allowing participation in the development projects that are changing the world. Many of the skills my teammates instilled in me have created opportunities now in retirement. It was self rewarding to dig into my archives to find some Mercury and Gemini materials and donate them to the St. Louis Science Center during the time Gus Grissom's craft was brought back for display. At this time, I visited with my former GAM72 project leader, Wayne Lowe, at the Kansas space facility. Since I retired in February 1987, I have been very active in volunteering to small businesses, the arts and programs dealing with young people. Since early 1988, I have volunteered with for the SCORE Association. (Several other teammates were/are also volunteers.) At the present time, I am Chairman of the Board of Directors of the national organization consisting of about 11,000 volunteers nationwide who consult, counsel and educate entrepreneurs. We are "America's Counselors to Small Business." In 1994, some of my SCORE volunteer work was published as a dictionary (glossary) of small business terms. This information is now available free to anyone anywhere on the web site www.small-business-dictionary.org. By the way this web site was programmed in Siberia by a Russian colleague and post-perestroika entrepreneur. I volunteer with the musical theater group, Stages St. Louis. Stages is in the early phases of moving from the Kirkwood Civic Center to Chesterfield. A new beautiful theater building will be constructed on the Chesterfield Mall property at the intersection of Chesterfield Parkway and Chesterfield Airport Road. About 5 times each year I am host to international young people through the World Affairs Council in Clayton and Webster University. These young people come to St. Louis to learn about America - mostly about starting a small business and entrepreneurship. I provide housing, meals and visiting local attractions. It is a good feeling for me to give back in these ways. If you would like to consider these type volunteer activities, please contact me.
Best regards,
Carl Trautmann

3/25/03
JOE KLAUSNER, GENE GERONOMI, CLIFF MARKS
Following note received by Norm Beckel from Bob Burton:
Norm - Your address check worked for me. I'll be there on the 9th. Incidentally, I had lunch with Klausner, Geronomi and Marks in Florida. Joe is having heart problems and Marks had an attack before he came home. Gene appears healthy and is involved with the regional air show (Blue Angels,etc.). See ya.
Bob Burton

(I will contact Jackie Tate, who I believe will probably have more information and will update this if any new information is obtained. ---Earl Robb)
3/16/03
BETTY HILL, wife of BO HILL
Following received from Ruth Trammel:

Betty Hill passed away peacefully at 2:30 this morning (Sunday).
The arrangements are:
Tuesday: Visitation from 4 to 9 pm.
At Hutchens Funeral Home at 675 Graham Rd.

Wednesday: Service at 10:00 am
St. Marks Methodist Church
375 Graham Rd.
Burial will be at St. Charles Memorial Gardens
Thank you all for your prayers,
God bless,
Joe and Ruth Trammel
3/5/03
RAY TUCKER, AND CAL MOSER
(following received from Ruth and Joe Trammel)

We are sending this message for all of you that may know Ray Tucker and Cal Moser.

Ray Tucker's son had surgery but now has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.

Cal and Shelly Moser's daughter-in-law, Roxanne, is in the Holmes Regional hospital at Melbourne, Florida with a serious illness and the doctors are having trouble finding the cause. She has been ill for 5 or 6 weeks and in and out of the hospital. She has lost weight and bone mass, her stomach is distended, she is passing blood, vomiting and is very weak. They are suppose to run a cat-scan today to see if that tells them anything. Shelly flew to Florida last Friday to assist with the children and whatever she can do for the family.

If you know of any other friends that we do not have on this list please forward it to them and remember these dear people and their families in your prayers.
God bless you,
Joe and Ruth Trammel

---

3/07/03 Update on Cal & Shelly Moser's daughter Roxanne:
Here is the update we received this afternoon from Shelly Moser. Roxanne's doctor wanted to send her to University Hospital in Gainesville, Florida where they specialize in this type of surgery but the seriousness of the timeframe will not allow that.
Please continue praying.
Ruth Trammel

I just wanted to let you all know that Roxanne is out of the colonoscopy and as we feared it is severe colitis throughout and so severe they are setting up surgery today or tomorrow.
Jeff is taking it with his chin up, Roxanne is on pain medication right now and feeling okay. My heart just goes out to them both.
I praise the Lord for the Doctors finally determining the situation before it became more serious then it already is.
Please continue to pray as they will be doing the surgery here at Holmes Regional because of the seriousness of the timeframe.
Thank you for keeping the entire family in your prayers.

God Bless you All!
Shelly

3/3/03
TOM EARLS
Tom Earls who worked for Bob Sharp on the Gemini and Skylab programs passed away 28 Feb 2003 in Barryville, AK after a long difficult battle with cancer. Burial followed the funeral ceremony Monday 2 Mar 2003 at the Nelson Funeral home in Barryville.
2/4/03
BOB WUERZ
Bob Wuerz passed away peacefully at about 7:00 PM, Sunday Feb. 2, 2003.
Visitation will be 4:00 to 8:00PM Thursday, 6 February at Ortmann- Stipanovich Funeral Home, 12444 Olive Blvd in Creve Couer.
Funeral will be Friday, 7 February, 10:00AM Mass at Incarnate Word Catholic Church, 13416 Olive Street Road. Meet at the funeral home at 9:30AM, to go to the church for 10:00 mass.

12/09/02
WAYNE LOWE
Polly and I spent an interesting evening at the Cosmosphere, our space museum, last night hearing a talk by Jeff Ashby, a nephew of good friends here, who was Commander of Shuttle Mission #112 about 6 weeks ago. Jeff grew up in Colorado, but spend many summers here in Hutchinson, KS. He is a Navy captain, a graduate of the Navy`s Top Gun Test Pilot School, flew F-18s on 45 combat missions in Desert Storm, has over 7000 flight hours and over 1000 carrier landings.

He joined the Astronaut Corp in 1995 and has had 3 shuttle missions. The second as pilot and this last as commander. They took up a big truss for the space station and exchanged the crew that had been up for 6 months with a new one.

He had slides, video, and comments of the mission - launch, docking, station work, and return. As commander, he made the landing at 240mph in Florida.

I asked how he liked the F-18 and if he had carried Harpoons? He thinks the F-18 is the best fighter in the world and fired a number of SLAMs, the Harpoon land attack version.

Wish you all could have heard him.

Merry Christmas to all!
Wayne Lowe.

09/26/02
RON RAU
Saw Hans Vetter at Investment event and he mentioned subject retiree "club"....Read with keen interest the links to your web-site and thought I'd like to participate in one of your luncheons....Then I realized that I am away from St Louis about 5 months of year - @ FL home, traveling with recently retired wife, or visiting family scattered throughout our great land - and when here seem to be "tied-up" often....Nonetheless I will keep-in-touch via your web-site and hope to spot luncheons that I could attend...As I retired all my hairpieces and ties when my body retired, I have the misfortune of being unrecognizable to many teammates.

I retired in 7/89 and consider "active retirement" the best phase of my life....Adult Diabetic health issues (leg vascular disease led to many operations) have hindered the last few years but am now able to move around with a modicum of vigor....Still fortunate enough to enjoy golfing...Considerable volunteer work was satisfying; I "retired" from that about 2 years ago...Most volunteer work was helping budding entrepreneurs start or continue a small business, via the umbrella organization called SCORE ( Service Corp of Retired Executives)....Lots of help opportunities encountered in that decade of consulting....Multi-month Rockwood School District and Church Strategic Planning exercises were fun and challenging.
Along-time friend and teammate, Mert Walker. passed on a few months ago....I believe Mert was one of the charter members of the Missile Engineering Division, one of or the predecessor of the Astronautics Company....Great guy.
Saw a bunch of familiar names on your "roster", hello to all and
Best-2U, Ron Rau

08/13/02
ROBERT RAMSEY died August 10, 2002

The following is from the Cocoa Beach newspaper:
"Robert Ramsey, 83, a resident of Cocoa Beach since 1960, went home to heaven on Saturday, August 10, 2002.
He was born and reared in St. Louis, Mo.
Mr. Ramsey was a veteran of the Merchant Marines.
He worked for McDonnell Douglas at the Cape on projects from the Mercury to the Space Shuttle.
Mr. Ramsey was a member of the Gideons, the Indian River Radio Club, and was a very active member of the United Methodist Church of Cocoa Beach.
He is survived by a son, and two daughters; seven grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, August 16th, at the United Methodist Church of Cocoa Beach.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Gideons.
Arrangements are entrusted to Brevard Memorial Funeral Home."

07/18/02
CLIFF MARKSUpdate
The following note from Cliff was passed on by Jackie Tate

"Dear Friends,
I got home yesterday after 8 days in the hospital. My triple by-pass on Thu, 09 July was succesful but I had a relapse on Sat, 13 Jul. I had another atrial fibrillation so they sent me back to bed. I finally got out yesterday and I'm feeling good.
I want to thank everyone for their prayers, cards & best wishes for my recovery. Your support was wonderful.
Cliff"

0710/02
H. H. "Luge" LUETGEN

The summer 2002 edition of the MSM-UMR ALUMNUS features a piece on page 37 about the recently published autobiography of H. H. Luetjen. The title of the book is Before Mercury Rose: The Half-life of an Ex-Spaceman. I thought that some of the teammates who knew or worked with Luge might be interested. Paul Raidt

05/28/02
JOE AND RUTH TRAMMEL
Hello Earl, Good to have this web site, you and Norm have done a great job. I have been helping out at the Space Museum in Titusville and at the last Board meeting they discussed having a 40th Anniversary for Gordon Cooper about the 15th of May, 2003 and hope to have it at the Lighthouse at the Cape. They would like to have as many as possible of Coopers MA-9 launch crew at the Anniversary celebration. I have a MA-9 Crew Roster with names but no addresses and I'm not sure they are all still around. Will you could pass this information on and ask for anyone that was involved on the MA-9 launch to send their address, phone number or e-mail so we can contact them. I will keep you updated on the progress of the organizing of the Anniversary celebration.
Thanks,
Joe Trammel
jtrammel33@earthlink.net

04/17/02
CLARENCE HOWARD
I retired a year ago from our operation in Houston, and have been corresponding with a few of the old geezers that I grew up, and old with in St. Louis. In fact, a couple of weeks ago I saw Bill Geissler who also lives in Houston. We still live in the Houston metropolitan area, but actually on the far north side about 40 miles from the city center and about 60 miles from Clear Lake where we lived until retirement. My wife and I are in good shape, healthwise, and are really enjoying our grandkids and the retirement experience. Our Email address is: choward784@aol.com

I have enjoyed the MAC's Old Team website, but I am amazed at the number of people who have passed away! We still get to St. Louis a couple of times a year, and I will attempt to phase a trip to enable me to get to a meeting.

Thanks for the good work,
Clarence Howard

4/01/02
GUENTER WENDT

You will probably remember Guenter Wendt as the McDonnell Aircraft Launch Pad Chief at the Cape.
He and Russell Still have written a book called The Unbroken Chain. A book review found at Amazon.com states the following:
"American astronauts may have lived the dream of seeing space, but they never would have made it without Guenter Wendt. In The Unbroken Chain, this unsung hero tells his story, and he's got the right stuff. Wendt, who immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1949, got a job as a mechanical engineer for McDonnell Aircraft that launched his space career. He eventually became the man who supervised preparations for every mission from the Mercury program through the early shuttle flights. He was the last person the astronauts would see before they closed the hatch, and he became something of a legend at NASA. The Unbroken Chain features Wendt's accounts of his career highlights, good and bad, as well as behind-the scenes revelations about missions and personalities. Three sections of great photos accompany the text, and best of all, the accompanying CD-ROM features a tour of Cape Canaveral hosted by Wendt himself."

Wayne Lowe reports that Guenter will be at the Kansas Cosmosphere Space Center in late April for a talk and book signing. We wish Guenter success with his book , and hope he and his family are enjoying retirement in good health. Wayne, when you see Guenter, tell him many of his old teammate friends here in St. Louis have great memories of him, and hope he will send a note to the MAC's Old Team website and tell us a little about what he is doing in retirement.

03/24/02
LLOYD (BUD) SCHULTZ
Over the years, Bobbye and I have done a bit of traveling. We have bicycled in all the countries of western Europe, but this year we were in Switzerland in the winter for some cross-country skiing. We're beginning to feel our age, because one Olympic cross-country ski race was 50 KM and was completed in a little over 2 hours, but it took us 2 weeks to do the same distance.

We spent one week in Zermat, and finally saw the Matterhorn on a clear day. Then one week in Davos, with many downhill runs and about 75KM of cross-country trails.
The trains in Switzerland are so punctual that if you arrive at the RR station at 12:03 and your train is scheduled to leave at 12:02, you've missed it. You can literally set your watch by when the train begins to move. The train rides in the Alps are as beautiful as the picture of a Swiss village on a Christmas card.
One can also wax poetic about the Swiss Pastries and breads. It must be the air at altitude.
Regards----Bud Schultz

JACK WALKER died 12/17/01

MERRITT ISLAND -- Jack M. Walker, 77, a retired Aerospace Engineer, died Monday, December 17, 2001, at home. Mr. Walker was born in Ketterman, Mo. He came to Brevard County in 1960 from St. Charles, Mo. He worked for McDonnell Douglas for 44 years on the Mercury and Gemini Programs. Mr. Walker was a World War II Air Force veteran who was taken as a P.O.W. in Germany and he also received a Purple Heart for his heroic efforts. He was a member of the Georgiana United Methodist Church in Merritt Island. Mr. Walker was also the founder of the Brevard County Manufacturers Association and past Executive Director. He was also an amateur pilot. Survivors include his wife, Bernice J. Walker of Merritt Island; sons, Jonnie L. Walker of Birmingham, Ala. and William L. Walker of Orlando; sisters, Jacqueline Northcutt of Springfield, Mo.; and grandson, Jack W. Walker of Orlando.

HAROLD (HAL) SPRINGER dies 1/10/02 when plane crashes into Mosquito Lagoon, Volusia County, FL

TITUSVILLE -- Harold L. Springer passed away Thursday, January 10, 2002. Mr. Springer is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Joan M. Springer; five daughters, Sue Harris, Laurie Robey, Connie Zabowski, Shelly Benson, and Kendy Goerke; brothers, John and Charles Springer; and nine grandchildren. A native of Indiana, Mr. Springer graduated from Purdue University, and following a successful career in the aerospace industry, retired from McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Corporation in 1988. He retired as vice president of Combat Services, Titusville Division, and had previously served McDonnell Douglas as Deputy General Manager and acting General Manager of their Titusville division. He was an avid flyer who built and flew experimental aircraft following his retirement.

01/30/02
BOB GODEFROID passed away
The following was received from Bob Schwartz via Don Gross at Missile / Weapons Engineering Development
Received this from guys at old MAC. Thought I'd send in for old guys that you think might be interested.
Bob Godefroid past away yesterday afternoon. He was 68 years old and retired just 4 years ago. His family is making arrangements today at Schrader's Funeral Home in Ballwin, Mo. Bob was placed in a nursing home 3 months ago and has been fighting "Dementia", which is an irreversible deterioration of intellectual faculties. Todd Godefroid, his son, said the doctors explained it as a mind problem. His mind was not functioning properly which caused loss of memory and loss of body functions. His son said he would let us know the cause of death after test results are completed.
Don Gross

JOHN YARDLEY
"Aeronautical engineer who helped to put the first American into space"
"JOHN YARDLEY helped to design the craft that put the first American into space, and was later in charge of the launch in 1981 of Columbia, the first reusable space shuttle."

John Yardley was born on February 1, 1925. He died on June 26, 2001, aged 76

This is from a 7/10/01 News article found in London Times and provided by John Hellmuth
To read the entire article, including pictures, click here:YARDLEY

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