GRAA NEWSLETTER
P.O. Box 1184, Greenbelt, MD 20768-1184

IMPORTANT DATES

COMMENTS FROM TONY COMBERIATE, GRAA VICE PRESIDENT: Dr. Thaller (see above) was initially scheduled to speak in January and GRAA President Ron Browning was slated for February. However, due to a scheduling conflict for Dr. Thaller, they both readily agreed to switch months. At the January meeting Ron described his and his wife Pat’s recent trip to China, which started in Beijing and ended three weeks later in Hong Kong (after five flights totaling over 3,000 miles as well as a 300-mile cruise on the Yangtze River. He showed photos of the Great Wall (originally over 13,000 miles long) which was built in 221 B.C. – 206 B.C. to stop Mongol invaders from the north. His photos of Tiananmen Square included a temple built in 1420 of all wood, but no nails. Their next stop, the Forbidden City used by the Emperor until 1911, contained 980 buildings on 180 acres. Most of the Emperor’s treasures were taken to Taiwan in 1947. We were also shown photos of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, unearthed by archeologists, as well as the beautiful bridges, built along the Li River, which replicate structures such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Ponte Vecchio in Florence, the Tower of London, and the Arc de Triomphe. Highlights from the river cruise along the Yangtze River included five locks, which drop the water level 175 meters in three hours, as well as photos of the Three Gorges Dam and the area where over 1.3 million people in 150 cities and villages were relocated due to controlled flooding. The next stop was Shanghai, a city of over 20 million people and three of the tallest buildings in the world. Shanghai is home to the world’s only Maglev train capable of reaching a speed of 267 miles per hour. The final stop was a visit to Hong Kong and Macau, which were both returned to China in the late 1990s. Throughout their entire trip last September, Ron and Pat were very fortunate not to have experienced any significant smog, which was unusual, but certainly made for a more enjoyable visit.

TREASURER’S REPORT: Treasurer Jackie Gasch received tax-deductible contributions from the following: Dempsey Bruton, Enid Chandler (in memory of Arthur Chandler), Benita Cooper, Christopher Daly, Edward Danko (in memory of Sherman McCaslin), Karen DeFazio, Carroll Dudley, Paul Feinberg, Roger Flaherty (in memory of Betty Jane Hayden), Michael Forman, Leroy Goesel, Roger Jenkin, John Lahzun, Robert Langley, James Largent, Thomas LaVigna, Michael McCumber, Terence O’Neill, Bernard Peavey, Colleen Quinn-House, Richard Strafella, H. Anne Thompson, Thomas White, Robert Wigand, and John Wolff, Jr.

RECENT NEW RETIREES OR ALUMNI: Julie A. Baker, Gordon S. Banholzer, Harry M. Born, Howard D. Branch, James B. Byrnes, Warren E. Connley, John E. Connerney, John D. Cronise, Osvaldo O. Cuevas, Sheila D. Dezio, John W. Elliott, Sara Heap, Arthur R. Hughes, Patricia A. Johnson, Robert L. Kasa, Michael Lenz, Daniel J. Marinelli, Pamella B. Nnamdi, Craig J. Pollock, Kirk K. Rhee, Stephen H. Rice, Paul S. Rozmarynowski, Susan M. Sparacino, and Paul H. Williams.

THOUGHT FOR FEBRUARY: I recently changed the password on my computer to “incorrect.” Now when I cannot remember what is, I log in with an old or different password and my computer sends me back a message that says “your password is incorrect.”

REMEMBERING OUR FORMER COLLEAGUES:

• Willie A. Bullock, of Arlington, VA, passed away on December 6^th. He held numerous assignments during his Goddard career, including the Project Development and Construction Engineering Branches of the Facilities Engineering Division in the Office of Technical Services. He later became Head of the Unit Price Contract Section of the Design & Construction Branch, Facilities Engineering Division in the Management Operations Directorate.
• Warren R. Crockett, of Williamsburg, VA, passed away on December 28^th. He was an Electrical Engineer at Goddard and first worked in the Flight Data Systems Branch of the Spacecraft Technology Division in the Office of Space Science & Satellite Applications (which later became the Technology Directorate).
• Betty R. Graham, of Alexandria, VA, passed away on January 3^rd. She was an Editor at Goddard who, over time, worked in the Graphic & Publications and Technical Information Services Branches of the Information Management Division (which later became the Information Technology & Services Division) in the Management Operations Directorate.
• Alfred Rosenthal, of Potomac, MD, passed away on January 7^th. He was Goddard Historian and Assistant Chief of the Public Information Office in the Office for Administration.
• Richard S. Sade, of Pasadena, MD, passed away on January 15^th. He started his Goddard career in the early 1960s in the Program Support Division of the Office for Administration, later moved to the Planetary Ionospheres Branch of the Space Sciences Division in the Office of Space Science & Satellite Applications, and still later to the Project Support Branch of the Program Support Division in the Administration & Management Directorate. He later moved to become Administrative Officer and then Director of the Networks Directorate as the last assignment of his 24-year career.
• John O. Tresansky, of Chevy Chase, MD, passed away on November 30^th. He was Goddard’s Patent Counsel in the Management Operations Directorate and also a distinguished lecturer of patent, copyright, and trademark law at Catholic University in DC.

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS (AIAA) SEEKS JUDGES FOR LOCAL SCIENCE FAIRS: Once again, the AIAA National Capital Section is seeking scientists and engineers to volunteer as judges at regional high school science fairs within commuting distance of Goddard’s Greenbelt Campus (Montgomery and Prince George’s County’s are closest, with the dates being March 12 and March 19, respectively) on Saturdays during March. If you are interested in participating or have questions about this judging opportunity to help inspire the future generation of the nation’s best and brightest scientists and engineers, please contact Scott Fry via email at s.fry.aiaa@gmail.com or telephone at 443-472-6509.

FROM THE GODDARD ARCHIVES – THEY HAPPENED IN FEBRUARY: Two Environmental Science Services Administration satellites (ESSA-1 and ESSA-2) were launched from Cape Canaveral, FL, by Three-stage Delta rockets on February 3 and 28, 1966, respectively. The purpose of the satellites was to prepare operational weather analyses and forecasts. ESSA-1 was deactivated on June 12, 1968, and ESSA-2 was deactivated on October 16, 1970.

PLEASE NOTIFY GRAA WHEN YOU CHANGE YOUR HOME OR EMAIL ADDRESS: Since we are starting to update and prepare the next iteration of the GRAA Membership Directory for distribution in the spring, please ensure we have your current home and email addresses. We often experience newsletters (both those sent via snail mail or email) that bounce back to us by the postal service or from Internet Service Providers and it is frequently difficult to track down members, what with many using cell phones in this day and age. Please send address changes to our Greenbelt, MD, post office box or via email to stratlaios@verizon.net