#148) Roy Dean Bartlome, 1928 - 2017

Roy Bartlome, a long time Libravet known by all, has passed away. Roy's daughter, Laurie, kindly sent us an advance copy of his obituary which will appear in the LA Times' Glendale News Press tomorrow (Wednesday). A reproduction follows:

Roy Dean Bartlome, 89, of Glendale, California passed away on Sunday, July 30, 2017. Born in 1928 in Montpelier, Idaho to Fred and Lena Bartlome, he was one of eight children. Although raised in Idaho, he spent most of his adult life in the Los Angeles, California area.

Roy graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and, in 1952, earned his Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Beginning in 1956, he dedicated his professional life to aerospace at Librascope (Singer Corporation) based in Glendale, California. He led a distinguished career in program management as Director of Naval Weapon Systems until he retired as Vice President of Navy Modernizations Programs in 1991.

Roy was a loving and devoted husband to his wife, Patricia, until her death in 2009. He was a proud father of his only daughter, Laurie Brighton, of Sydney, Australia, and adoring of his companions in later life, Burton Johnson and Kelly Cassidy. He is survived by them and by his brothers, Gordon and James Bartlome of Utah, and by his sisters, Helen Portela and Linda Aland of Idaho, as well as by many loving nieces, nephews and dear long-term friends.

In Roy’s own words, he felt “gifted to have lived his life with honor, courage, laughter and love.”

A celebration of his life will be held at the Hillside Chapel, Gate 17, Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, California on Wednesday, August 9 at 3 p.m., followed by a graveside service.

Attention Blog (e-mail) subscribers: If you received this post as an e-mail and wish to add a comment, click here and then click on "comments" at the bottom of Post #148. Or, you may send your comment to me as a "reply" to this message, and I will post it for you. Thanks, Carl

#147) Robert "Bob" Chambers, 1935 - 2016

The other day, Georgine Archer unexpectedly discovered Bob Chambers’ obituary in the May 2, 2016 issue of The Record-Courier, serving Minden-Gardnerville & Carson Valley, NV.

As most Libravets know, Bob was a very highly regarded systems engineer at Librascope who made many important contributions. In 1989, for example, he was the AN/BSY-2 Program Director. See page 2 of the December 22, 1989 Librazette (click here).

Bob's 2016 obituary follows:

Robert "Bob" Chambers, long-time resident of Gardnerville, Nevada, passed away at home on Friday, April 1, 2016. Bob and his wife Brenda moved to Gardnerville in 2001 from June Lake, California. Bob loved the Sierras and his new home in Gardnerville. He became active in the community as a member of the Douglas County Library Board and as President and Treasurer of Friends of the Library. Bob was born in Los Angeles, California on May 26, 1935 and lived most of his life in Burbank before retiring to June Lake in 1997. He was a graduate of UCLA and had an MBA from Pepperdine University. Bob was a consummate engineer and spent his entire working career of more than 30 years with Singer- Librascope in Glendale.California. After retiring to June Lake, Bob became involved in various community projects including the June Lake Water Board, the Mono County Library, and Friends of the Bodie Railroad. Bob's smile, energy and hugs will be missed by family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Brenda, son Richard (Pamela) of Downey, California, grandchildren Jamie Chambers of Minden, Jeffrey Chambers of Simi Valley, California and Steven Chambers of Huntington Beach, California. Bob was preceded in death by granddaughter Bridget Chambers. Bob will also be missed by former daughter-in-law Terri Chambers of Minden and step grandchildren Stacey Tauson of Los Angeles and Stephanie Tauson of Downey, California. A memorial event will be planned for a later date. Arrangements were in the trusted care of Autumn Funerals & Cremations.

PS - Bob’s wife, Brenda, passed away December 3, 2016. She was 82 years old.

#146) Bernadette P. Stahle, 1925 - 2017

Betty Grieve, nee Perkin (known at Librascope as Betty Gillikin), recently reported the following from Liverpool, England:

Bernadette Stahle passed away peacefully at the age of 91 on February 17th in Palm Desert, CA with her daughter Pam at her side. Bernie retired from Librascope Operations in 1991 after serving 26 years. She was the wife of Howard Stahle, who passed in 2011 (click here to see Howard's Blog Post #35).

Bernie's daughter Polly took this photograph of her several years ago while they were visiting Paris.

#128) Jim Avera, Librascope Photo Lab, Passes.

Today, I received the following e-mail message from Georgine Archer:

"I received a phone call yesterday, September 15, 2015 from Jan Tempesta Sandiford. Jan said that Jim Avera’s grandson informed her that Jim passed away this morning in Tennessee. She said that Jim had gone to Tennessee for an annual family reunion. Because he had not been feeling well, his grandson drove him to the reunion. The day before, they spent visiting all the places he remembered from his youth. Jan said that Jim will remain in Tennessee because that is where he wanted to be buried.

Jim worked in the Librascope Photo Lab from 1959 to 1984+. He attended every Librascope reunion from 2000 to 2014."

#126} Thomas C. Mulholand Recently Passed.

To All LM - NB Readers,
Recently, I e-Mailed Tom Mulholand to ask if he could help us with Blog Post #124 regarding Librascope's disc memory history. Then, yesterday, I received the following e-mail from Steve, Tom's son-in-law, informing me of his passing last December. Tom was 87.
Carl

Carl,
My name is Steve Goodkin and I am Tom's son-in-law. I am sorry to have to tell you that Tom passed away in Las Vegas on December 15th. His wife, Corky, has moved up to Oregon to be near her daughter, Linda.

Steve

A search of all our on-line Librazettes found Tom mentioned in several issues. A brief summary follows.

• May, 1972 - Elected “Trip Chairman” of the Librascope Ski Club.

• July, 1974 - Blood Donor List.

• November, 1975 - Appointed Program Manager of Computer Products. Formerly a Senior Quality Control Engineer at Librascope, Tom came to Librascope five years ago (1970) from Ocean Technology where he was QA Manager. He received a BSEE from the American Television Institute of Technology in Chicago.

• November, 1976 - Ski Club President.

• July, 1977 - Re-elected Ski Club President.

• March, 1979 - Ski Club Treasurer;

• April, 1980 - 10 Year Libravet Award.

• March and July, 1990 - 20 Year Libravet Award (Operations).

#122) Tom Charbonneau Passed Away

To All Readers,

Sadly, I received the following e-mail from Georgine Archer this morning:
Carl

To the Libravets who may remember Tom,

Tom Charbonneau passed away Tuesday, May 19 after a couple of days in the hospital. He had been diagnosed with an inoperable cancer about 8 months ago and prior to his passing had enjoyed good times with his family and friends.

There will be a remembrance gathering for him on June 6 for his family and close friends. My husband, Bob has been a close friend of Tom’s since their days at UCLA.

I will be attending the remembrance gathering. If you have any memories of Tom that you would like to share with his family, please send it by Reply email.

I prepared the attached document using information published in the Librazettes.

Please forward this message to anyone not on the distribution for this message who may have worked with Tom.

Georgine

TOM CHARBONNEAU's

ENGINEERING CAREER

AT LIBRASCOPE, GLENDALE, CA

Forward:

Tom started at Librascope in 1975.  In 1995 he, along with other 20+ service award celebrants, happily received his 20 year Service Award at the Cinnabar, a local Glendale restaurant. See Blog Post #77.

Georgine Archer prepared the following by searching the 300+ Librazettes online:

"Librazette News Clippings for Tom Charbonneau"

July 1980 - TOM CHARBONNEAU – PROMOTION from Sr. Engineer to Staff Engineer

December 1980 – 5 Year Anniversary

July 1981 - TOM CHARBONNEAU – PROMOTION from Staff Engineer to Supervisor-System Support & Evaluation;

June 1982 - Librascope Wins Competition For U.S. Army Contract

Librascope has been awarded a contract to carry out the Advanced Development phase for the U.S. Army's Communications Control System (CCS). The CCS is a highly intelligent front-end communications processor to be used with artillery tactical data systems.

Hank Pinczower, Director, Army Programs, notes that design of the CCS will permit its use with existing and planned Army communications system beyond the year 2000.

Administered by the U.S. Army Electronics Command, Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey, the initial contract is for $3.5 million and covers the delivery of six test type CCS's over a contract span of 20 months.

The CCS's will be delivered to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma for incorporation into the realistic user environment of the TACFIRE Artillery Test Bed. Human engineering factors will be an important consideration in all phases of the tests.

Tom Charbonneau will serve as Librascope's CCS project manager.

At the conclusion of the Advanced Development phase, the U.S. Army plans to enter Engineering Development and Final Engineering Design phases. Each phase will be under a separate contract.

July 1985 - Engineering Department Reorganization Creates New Supervisors and Assignments

Continued growth in the Engineering Department has resulted in organizational restructuring, as announced by Jerry Deitz, Engineering Vice President.

• New Supervisors in Systems Engineering Lawry Chapin, Manager):

Thomas Charbonneau, Systems Design (Army Programs)

John Good, Systems Design (CCS Programs)

November 1985 – 10 Year Anniversary

April 1990 – 

October 1990 – 15 Year Anniversary

October 1995 -- 20 Year Anniversary (see photo above) 

#116) Services for Henry (Hank) Pinczower

Hank Pinczower, retired Vice President of Programs at Librascope, passed away from leukemia at his home early Saturday morning, November 8th.

Hank, who came to the U. S. from Germany in the late 1930's, was a proud c. 1952 electrical engineering graduate of CCNY, and a varsity soccer player. He was also a 20+ year Libravet who was perhaps best known for spearheading the Company's many significant programs with the U. S. Army. Hank retired in 1994, and last attended the 2012 Librascope Reunion.

Funeral Services for Hank will be held at Mount Sinai Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills on Tuesday morning, November 11th at 9:00 AM.

The address for the early service is;
5950 Forest Lawn Dr.
Los Angeles, CA

#115) In Memoriam - Walter James Picker, 1929 - 2014

Today I received the following e-mail from Ann Picker, Walt's beloved wife:

Hi Carl,
A note to let you know that Walt died this morning. His passing was merciful in that he was very ill for over a year. I know you’ll let all the Libravet’s know.

I also want to thank you and all the Librascope people who supported Walt in the walk/run for Brain Cancer Research. That meant so much to our family. It was truly a living memorial.

Sincerely, 

Ann Picker

 Walter James Picker

1929-2014

Walter James Picker, 85, of Cambria, CA died on October 26, 2014.  Born in Baltimore, MD on Friday, March 13, 1929, he was the son of Walter Henry Picker and Loretta Delores (Hayden) Picker.  A child of the Great Depression, Walt vividly recalled his early childhood years when his father was unable to obtain steady employment.  These years had a profound and lasting impression on him with the result that he grew up valuing hard work, providing well for his own family, and holding a healthy respect for the worth of a dollar.  Despite the fragile family finances of his immediate family during the depression, Walt spent his childhood surrounded by a loving and caring extended family which included his Grandfather, aunts, uncles, and cousins who all lived in a three story row house on West North Avenue where communal meals were enjoyed by the entire family.

As a very young child, Walt discovered the joys of books found in the free public library a few blocks away from the Picker row house.  He would not always get the borrowed books home but would sit on the curb outside the library to devour each page.

Walt attended PS 62, Hamilton Junior High School, and graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in 1948.  After working at the Bendix Corp. for several years, he enrolled in Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA and graduated in 1954 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.  While at Drexel, Walt was active in student government serving as President of the Inter-Fraternity Council, President of the Men’s Student Government, and President of the Senior Class.  He was selected for Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities and Blue Key Honorary Fraternity.  Walt was a member of Sigma Pi Fraternity.

He served for two years in the US Army at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville Alabama developing ballistic missiles under Dr. Werner Von Braun.

After military service, Walt accepted a position with Singer Librascope in Glendale, CA.  During his lengthy career he held various positions with the company, retiring as President in 1992.

Post graduate education included a two year Executive Management course at UCLA, a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA), and a Doctor of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern California (1971).

After retirement, Walt was instrumental in organizing a committee in Cambria to prevent the development of the East-West (Fiscalini) Ranch.   He contributed his organizational skills, time, energy, and financial resources in order to preserve this beautiful four hundred acre site as open space for future generations to enjoy.

Walt was an avid reader and lifelong learner, belonging to several book and discussion groups.  He loved his Barnes and Noble gift cards, fine wine, art, genealogy (member of Sons of the American Revolution), visiting museums, classical music, UCLA sports, and basketball.  Possessing a quick and sometimes subtle wit, Walt took enormous delight in prevailing over family and friends, year after year, to win the March Madness basketball pool.

Immensely proud of his family, Walt loved them deeply and was extremely gratified that they rallied around him when he became ill.  He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Ann Marjorie (Stump) Picker, three children; Susan Ellen (Picker) Enriquez, James Kenneth Picker, Jane Elizabeth (Picker) Russell, five grandchildren; Brett James Enriquez, Hayden James Picker, Zachary Raul Picker, Faith Frances Cerussi, James Thomas Cerussi, and one great-grandson, Alexander Malcom Enriquez.

The family would like to thank all the caretakers who helped Walt during his long illness.  We also want to thank friends and family who supported Walt with numerous cards, phone calls, flowers, and visits.  And, a very special thank you to all the people who sponsored the participants in the “Race for Hope” runs honoring Walt and raising funds for brain cancer research.

A “Celebration of Life” will be held at a later date.

#110) In Memoriam - Jerry Deitz

Jerry Deitz, retired Vice President of Engineering, passed away at his home in Los Osos, CA on July 5, 2014. Jerry joined the Shipboard Engineering group at Librascope in 1956 and retired in 1989. Throughout those years, stories about Jerry's countless engineering activities and accomplishments at Librascope were published in dozens of Librazettes.

Jerry last attended the 2012 Librascope Reunion (Blog Post #82), and will certainly be missed at the 2014 Reunion on November 1st.

A Memorial/Celebration of Jerry's life will be held at 1:00 PM on Sunday, August 10, 2014 at the Morro Shores Mobile Home Park's Club House, located at 633 Ramona Avenue, Los Osos, CA 93402. 
Family Contact: Telephone 1-805-528-7136 or e-mail jerryelsie@aol.com.

Please visit the following link for driving information: 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Morro+Shores+Mobile+Home+Park/@35.32028,-120.842004,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xd44a343556f415b

Also, you may wish to sign the Guest Book for Jerry at:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sanluisobispo/obituary.aspx?n=jerry-deitz&pid=171712782

The following obituary was provided by Jerry's loving wife Elsie. 

Jerry Deitz a gentleman in every sense of the word died on July 5, 2014, just shy of his 89th birthday. He left peacefully and quietly in the afternoon, true to his character of never wanting to be a burden to anyone. Jerry was molded by his growing-up years in Brooklyn and enjoyed all the advantages of life in the big city. He liked the adventure of riding in the front subway car where, for just five cents, he was able to spend hours traveling wherever his imagination would take him. Museums, family outings to concerts in the parks, were all a part of his early history, as was his time spent as a volunteer with the fire department. Jerry's mother, Ray, impressed on him the value of education and he listened. He enjoyed learning and excelled in school. City College (now University) provided a splendid, almost free education, for an aspiring electrical engineer. His first choice would have been medicine, but entrance to medical schools was limited for Jews, and so he worked to become a valued contributor where he was able to make his mark. Like many other young men, he enlisted in the army to serve his country during WWII. Underage, and knowing his mother's distaste for the military implanted from an immigrant's experiences, he forged her signature and became a member of the United States Army assuming that it was better to volunteer than be drafted. He was one of the few who served in both the European and Asian campaigns. Jerry served with the 86th Blackhawk Division and continued to be an active part of the organization with involvement in their reunions over the years. The last one took place at Camp San Luis Obispo, where Jerry trained for a period of time and where the seed was planted to return to live in this area, which we did in 1988. A permanent memorial to the Division was dedicated at the time of the last reunion. Jerry and I met on a blind date in 1951 shortly after his return from Japan and Korea as a civilian who taught army personnel technical skills. We decided that getting married was a good idea, and so we tied the knot on April 6, 1952. A honeymoon trip to California made it clear that this would eventually be our permanent home. In 1956, it became reality with Jerry driving across country in five days, followed by our then two-year old daughter Carla and her seven-months' pregnant mother. Armed with a Master's Degree from NYU, Jerry joined the Librascope Corporation in Glendale. Over the years he rose to be the corporation's Senior Vice President of Engineering. Jerry always spoke of his relationships with the 200 or so employees he managed as being the most pleasurable part of his thirty-two year career with the company. His expectations regarding those he supervised were known. He had the ability to leave them alone to achieve these levels and they always strived to reach them. Music nourished his soul and sailing brought pleasure and release from the stress of the workplace, two lifelong passions in Jerry's life. Shortly after our move to Los Osos, we became involved in the Bud Laurent campaign for Supervisor where close bonds with friends were forged. This group went on, over a period of years, to make possible the acquisition of the Elfin Forest. Jerry's next involvement was with the Central Coast Veterans Museum as board member, treasurer and eventually head of the Library of Congress Oral History Project which recorded life experiences of Veterans of all wars. From all of these ongoing involvements, Jerry was often referred to as "Village treasurer". His leadership in volunteer activities spanned almost as long a period of time as his paid career. Jerry's primary concerns were focused on his family's wellbeing. It is with great pleasure that I see in Carla glimpses of his humor and sensitivity to others. Children are not supposed to precede their parents in death. The loss of our son Gary at age 50 was a dark time for us. Bud Laurent said it best: "Anyone who knew Jerry knows the truth that he towered over us in height and character as a kind, considerate and giving person. And, of course, when thinking about Jerry, the phrase is really Elsie and Jerry because they were together in everything. And I can't think of anything they gave themselves to that wasn't in the community's interest and welfare. Los Osos is immeasurably better because of Jerry - and Elsie". Jerry, and all that he was and stood for, will be sorely missed by all his friends and family. A Celebration of Life will be held shortly. Sign his guestbook at sanluisobispo.com/obituaries


Published in the San Luis Obispo Tribune on July 13, 2014

#105) In Memoriam - Charles "Chuck" Steele

The following obituary was received today from Chuck's wife Kathy.

Charles Gregory Steele; December 1, 1941 –  April 20, 2014

Charles “Chuck” Steele, 72, of Simi Valley went home to his Lord and Savior early Easter morning.  After a lengthy illness, he passed away peacefully at home with his family.  Chuck was born in Binghamton, NY to Catherine Beach and Charles Steele. He grew up in Owego, NY with his large extended family and many cousins, and there he developed a lifelong love of sports and an affinity for the NY football Giants.

Chuck graduated from Clarkson University in 1964 and had a long career in the Aerospace industry working for the Singer Corporation and BAE.  He was a devoted husband to Kathleen Barto and a loving father to their three children.  In 1977, the family moved from New York to Simi Valley, CA.  Chuck was an avid golfer and member of Sunset Hills Country Club.  He had a great sense of humor and loved to spend time with his family and friends.  Chuck will always be remembered with love and laughter by anyone who was fortunate enough to know him.

Chuck is preceded in death by his parents; and son, Timothy James Steele.  He is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Kathy; his daughters Shelley (Chris) Karr and Jenny (Rick) Lewis; grandchildren Mathew, Kirstine, Justin, Jane, and Patrick; brothers John (Judy) Steele of NC, Howard (Rebecca) Steele of MI; and many nieces and nephews.

A Memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 26^th at 10:30 am at Grace Brethren Church, 2900 Sycamore Drive, Simi Valley, CA 93065. 

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to:

The Samaritan Center of Simi Valley (www.thesamaritancenterofsimivalley.org).

#101) In Memoriam - Stanley Eugene Williams

Judy Williams recently informed us that her husband, Stan, passed away January 6, 2013 at their home in Yuma, AZ. He was 79.

Stan started at Librascope in 1957 and left for OTI in 1964. While at Librascope he was Supervisor of Math Analysis, and was a contributor to the L-2010 Project (see photos of Stan in the November 1962 (p.2) and March 1963 (p.3) Librazettes). Note, Stan was Georgine Archer's boss when she started at Librascope in 1959.

Stan's obituary is published at http://www.forevermissed.com/stanley-eugene-williams#about, where you may leave a tribute.

#99) In Memoriam - James Norman Conway

The following obituary was received recently from Carolyn Conway, Jim's wife:

James Norman Conway was born in Bristol, Connecticut on August 24, 1935. His father died when he was nine. When Jim was 14 he moved to North Hollywood with his mother and brother, Bill. He attended North Hollywood High School, Valley Junior College and UCLA graduating in 1957. 

Jim's first job was with Librascope's Special Devices Division. There he met Carolyn Cardozo who joined the company in 1959. They married October 8, 1960.

While at Librascope Jim worked on the 473L Command and Control system, both in logic design and as one of the group managers. In this area, he was much appreciated for his work ethic, engineering and management capabilities, and even more so for his very special sense of humor. In 1964 Jim left Librascope. 

Subsequently, Jim worked for Bunker Ramo and Scientific Data Systems (SDS), which was purchased by Xerox. While with SDS, his most favored position was head of the West Coast Systems Division. It was there that he displayed his innate entrepreneurship. He was respected for his judgment, fairness and expertise. After the sale of XDS to Honeywell, the Printing Systems Division was formed essentially from the nucleolus of XDS, and Jim was made VP of Engineering and Manufacturing. It was there that the popular 9700 was launched. The 9700 was one of the most profitable products ever offered by Xerox and it made Jim exceptionally proud.

Later, Jim was picked to head Century Data Systems in Anaheim. Retiring in 1987, he accepted a position with start-up Cherokee Data Systems in Boulder, Colorado, where he stayed three and a half years. Later, he worked for MOST in Cypress, California, commuting to a facility in Colorado Springs. He retired permanently in 1997.

Always an avid golfer, Jim greatly enjoyed playing with old friends for many years before his health failed. He courageously dealt with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and prostate cancer until graduating from life in Corona del Mar to eternal life in Heaven on October 11, 2013.

Besides Carolyn, Jim leaves sons James Jr., Jeff and Craig, grand-daughters Brianna and Casandra and honorary grandson Brandon Loveladdy. We cherish our memories of Jim and the blessing he was to each of us.

#96) In Memoriam - Roger James Mahoney

The following message was received today from Larry Knowles:

Sadly, I got a reply to the Christmas card I earlier sent to Roger Mahoney that he passed away November 23, 2013.

 His lady-love, Rula, was kind enough to let me know, but omitted any other details.  I'm certain many from Librascope will remember Roger as a highly capable Engineering Dept manager and one of the most gracious.  May I trust you will get the word out to other Libravets?  And may I hope the joy of Christmas overwhelms the sadness this message brings to those who knew Roger well.I wish good memories to all, like you, who worked with him.        
Larry 

 Roger's obituary was published in the Los Angeles Daily News on December 1st:

ROGER JAMES MAHONEY - Born September 26, 1934 Belleview, Washington, passed November 23, 2013 West Hills, California. Survived by wife, Rula; children, Cristina, Michael, Kathleen, Tom and Lisa; grandchildren, Scott, Michael and William; and great grandchild, Anthony. Predeceased by father, William George Mahoney; mother, Louis Marie Mahoney and brother, William George Mahoney. He was a conservative, caring, compassionate and funny father, friend and spouse who will be greatly missed. 

Note, Roger worked at Librascope from 1965 to 1992, when he retired from Engineering Design Services.

#95) Frank Copple - A Life Well Lived

Frank Thomas Copple II, 85, of Techachapi, CA passed away from natural causes on October 16th, 2013. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Betty. He is survived by his sister Rose Marie, daughter Cheryl, son Bob, granddaughters Aleta, Tamara, and Jade, grandson Travis, and four great-grandchildren.

Frank was born in Glendale, California to Frank and Lillian Copple on November 10th, 1927. In his teens, he honed his lifetime appreciation of automobiles and engineering during an apprenticeship at Copple Brothers Automotive (an auto sales and customizing business in Los Angeles).

He graduated from Glendale High School in 1945 and served on active duty in The Marine Corps from 1946 to 1948. He married Betty Jane Harvey in 1949 before moving to Panorama City to raise a family. Frank went on to earn his bachelor's degree in Production Management from UCLA in 1953.

In his younger years Frank was a sports car enthusiast who enjoyed competing in rallies and complex course races called gymkhanas (in which he achieved a number of wins and podium finishes). He also loved camping, golfing, hunting, and fishing with his friends and family, and had a special love for the high sierras.

In 1950, Frank joined Librascope, where he would spend his entire career. He eventually advanced to the position of Manager of Manufacturing Data Systems before retiring in 1989. Upon retirement, Frank and Betty relocated to Tehachapi to enjoy golf and the community life in Stallion Springs. They
truly enjoyed their time together there—golfing, relaxing, and making new friends.

In his later years, Frank was surrounded by family, friends, and companions. He will always be remembered as a loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather, a talented engineer, a quick wit, a loyal friend and companion, a frustrated golfer, and an accomplished punster. He will be missed by many.

#92) Dr. Jack R. Pelamati, LCDR USNR (Ret)

The following message was received from Wendy Pelamati:

Hello Carl, 

This is Jack Pelamati's youngest daughter writing to let you know that my father passed away a few weeks ago. A copy of his obituary follows:

Dr. Jack R. Pelamati, LCDR USNR (Ret) 
Jack Pelamati passed away peacefully on October 6, 2013, at the age of 83 after a courageous 13-year battle with Parkinson's Disease. He was a highly accomplished man who lived his life with honor and integrity. He was a devoted husband and father of six children. He is survived by his wife Loretta of 60 years and his children Jack (Lisa), Sheryl, Kym (Kirk), Greg, Dean (Robyn), and Wendy, His eight grandchildren are Jack, Angela, Nicholas, Kevin, Kaila, Keely, Lacee, and Ryan. He will be greatly missed. A memorial service will be held at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church.

Sincerely,
Wendy Pelamati

Wendy later added:

The memorial service will be on December 28th at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Winnetka (Canoga Park) on Sherman Way and Corbin. We wanted to do it on his 84th birthday on the 29th, however, that is a Sunday which is church day.

#88) In Memoriam - Norris C. Guy

Guy, Norris Campbell,  age 80, of San Clemente, CA passed away at home on August 29, 2013. He was the beloved husband for 58 years of Jeanne Jansen Guy; loving father to Christopher (Laurie), Jeffrey, Jonathan, and Anne (Tracy) Brown; and proud grandfather to Ryan, Jennifer, Nicole, Jake, Jack, and Gabby. Norris was preceded in death by his grand-daughter Nicole.

Norris was born in Tacoma, WA on February 6, 1933 to Melvin and Marion Guy. His brother James preceded him in death and his sister Phyllis lives in Federa l Way, WA. He studied electrical engineering at Washington State College (University) where he met his college sweetheart, Jeanne. After graduation they were married and moved to Southern California to start their new life, originally moving to Van Nuys, but then settling in La Canada Flintridge for 40 years. After raising their four children they moved to San Clemente to enjoy the beach life. Norris was an electrical engineer for Singer Librascope and retired after 33 years. Even in retirement Norris was not one to sit idle, so he continued to maintain his rental properties in the Los Angeles area and commuted between Los Angeles and San Clemente weekly.

A memorial service celebrating Norris life will be held at San Clemente Presbyterian church on September 27 at 2:00 pm. He will be interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills.

Even though Norris did not serve the United States in the military, he has always had gratitude and a great respect for those that do, so the family is requesting that donations be made to Norris favorite charities the Fisher House (fisherhouse.org) or Wounded Warriors (woundedwarriorsproject.org) in lieu of flowers.

Published in the Orange County Register on September 4th and 5th, 2013.

#87) In Memoriam - James R. Drugan, PhD

Dr. James R. “Jim” Drugan
1938 - 2013

Jim Drugan passed away quietly on July 22. He had been suffering from Parkinson's Disease for many years. He is survived by his wife Jan, two sons and a daughter. There will not be a funeral.

Jim’s significant engineering career at Librascope began in 1958 and by 1969 he had become a Senior Staff Engineer. That year he also received a PhD in Engineering from UCLA. His thesis was on Large Scale Systems.

In 1971, he was promoted into management by Jerry Deitz, Vice President and Chief Engineer.

During his time as Supervisor, Librascope invested in an effort to expand the Company’s business from torpedo fire control into sonar. Under Jim’s direction, the “Blue Room” was built and numerous highly classified display studies were conducted for the Naval Sea System Command. The studies provided the Navy with guidelines for sonar display design that are still used today. As a result of this work, Librascope consulted on the movie “The Hunt for Red October” and received a screen credit.

In 1975, Jim was promoted to Manager, System Engineering. During his time as Manager, Librascope began marketing its torpedo fire control engineering expertise to allied navies. The first contract was with the Royal Australian Navy to study modernization of torpedo fire control system on their Oberon class submarines. At the conclusion of the study, Jim visited Australia with the Librascope team.

This led to a long relationship with the Royal Australian Navy as well as contracts with Canada and India.

After serving as Manager of System Engineering, Jim left Librascope to form Drugan Associates where he had a consulting relationship with both Librascope and the Royal Australian Navy. During this time, Jim played a significant roll in the development of the combat system for the Australian Collins Class submarines that replaced the Oberon Class.

Finally, Jim was a highly accomplished golfer -- he had a three handicap at one time. The Librazettes document his many accomplishments as a member of the Librascope Golf Team.

Jim became a member of the Oakmont Country Club in Glendale and purchased a home overlooking the golf course. Until health problems overtook him, he spent many happy hours playing golf on the Oakmont course and enjoying the view of the course from his front window.

#82) The 2012 Librascope Reunion

As some of you know, I missed the November 3rd Librascope Reunion because I fractured my back just two days before the event took place. Now I'm feeling much better though, and finally able to report here on the 2012 Reunion.

First of all, Georgine Archer says the 2012 Reunion was “very successful”. As expected, a little over 100 Libravets attended, including first-timers Mark Ferry, Norris Guy, and Pete Maimone. She also said the food was good, and it was a beautiful location. About half the attendees were subscribers to this Blog.

A hugely successful “50/50 Raffle” was held to help support the ongoing expenses associated with our three main websites (Librascope Memories, Librascope Search, and this News Blog). Georgine also reported that there was a very generous, but anonymous donor. And, our thanks to Jeff Luther, and Jim Carpenter who sold $420 worth of the above raffle tickets. The happy raffle winners were Barbara Herrick, Al Mohill, and Marty Rudolf who each received $70.

A lot of good pictures were taken at the reunion, which are now posted on the Photos page of the Librascope Memories website (click here). Note, there are two 2012 Reunion Albums. One album is for all the “table photos” that Georgine normally takes at each reunion, and the other album is a collection of candid photos that were taken by Georgine, Charlotte Ashby, and Don Chen. The “Tables” Album includes a list of all the people at each table. This list is also on the Librascope Search website. In addition, Ray Hand took a short video which we hope to publish at a later date.

On a sad note, Georgine also made available a list of the Libravets who had passed away since the 2010 Reunion. A current version of that list of 35 Libravets is published on the Librascope Memories website History page (click here), Section IV. It is also on the Librascope Search website.

Finally, I wanted to mention again that I will soon be publishing over 100 new candid and table photos that were taken at the 2006 and 2008 Reunions, so stay tuned.

#81) In Memoriam - Bill Girouard

The following obituary for Bill Girouard appeared in the Los Angeles Times and the Pasadena Star-News yesterday. 

Bill was responsible for the design and construction of Librascope's buildings, including Buildings 8, 17, and the 100,000 sq. ft. Instrumentation Facility in Marina Del Rey. A couple years ago, Disney's architecture firm contacted me for any information we might still have about the construction of Building 17, that they were planning to renovate soon. I put them in contact with Bill who promptly responded, from memory, with a detailed description of how the building was constructed, including the first of its kind roof parking lot. Disney's firm was very appreciative, and said that Bill's input would save them a lot of research.

Bill last attended the 2008 Librascope Reunion.




Dr. William F. Girouard
May 10, 1921 - Jan. 3, 2013

Son of D.W. and Loretta C. Reidy Girouard, loving husband of Rita F. Phipps, proud father of Kathleen and Maureen Girouard. Alumnus of Oberlin College A.B. '47, University of Southern California B.S. 58' M.S. 60' , Madison University Ph.D. 06'. Dedicated lifetime teacher (with interruptions) 1947-2008; Boston Public Schools, Friends Academy, Faculty Member USC and Cal Poly Pomona. Faithful member (semper fi) United States Marine Corps WWII, Korean War Resigned (Major), Director Librascope Division Singer Co. 1960-1986; Cited Who's Who in the West and Who's Who Nationally. Active in Industrial Engineering, Chapter President, Regional Director, National Director Professional Registration. Active in public life; Planning Commission South Pasadena, President Homeowners Association South Pasadena, Parishioner '64 till passing and Lector and Eucharistic Minister, Holy Family Church.

This was Bill, the engineer's, answer to a request for a biographic resume. However, Bill neglected to state he was a man of staunch faith, provided endless acts enlivened with humor, and every act, robed in love.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, January 11, 2013 at Holy Family Church at 10:30 a.m. A reception will immediately follow at St. Joseph Center (located directly across the street from the church). Holy Family Church 1501 Fremont Avenue, South Pasadena, CA 91030. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Industrial Engineering Department @ Cal Poly Pomona or University of Southern California Cabot & Sons, Pasadena.

#79) In Memoriam - Jack Bamberger

Jack Bamburger, 1979

The following e-mail was received this morning from Rick Bamberger: 

"I regret to announce that a very great man, my Dad, passed away in his sleep about 1:30am this morning, September 28, 2012.

He served his country for over 22 years in the US Navy (a veteran of WWII and Korea), upon leaving the military he was employed in the private sector for over 27 years with Librascope (now part of Lockheed Martin), and was retired for the past 25 years. He lived a long and full life to the wonderful age of 94.

I will miss him as he was my father and a friend."

Rick Bamberger 

Jack started at Librascope in late 1961, and worked there until he retired 27 years later.  In 1979 he was promoted to Manager of Publications.  

Jack last attended the Librascope Reunion in 2008, where many enjoyed visiting with him.