Simon Ramo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Simon Ramo
|
|
|---|---|
Simon Ramo, c. 1950s
|
|
| Born | May 7, 1913 |
| Died | June 27, 2016 (aged 103) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) |
| Spouse(s) | Virginia Smith (2 children) |
| Awards |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
| Institutions |
|
Simon "Si" Ramo (May 7, 1913 – June 27, 2016) was an American engineer, a business leader, and a writer. He helped create important microwave and missile technologies. He is sometimes known as the "father" of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a type of long-range rocket. Ramo also helped develop General Electric's electron microscope. He played a big part in starting two major companies, Ramo-Wooldridge (which later became TRW) and Bunker Ramo Corporation.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Simon Ramo was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. His parents, Clara and Benjamin Ramo, were immigrants from Poland and Russia. Simon was very smart and started the University of Utah when he was just 16 years old. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering by the time he was 20. By age 23, in 1936, he had earned two PhD degrees from Caltech in physics and electrical engineering.
Career Highlights
General Electric Research
From 1936 to 1946, Simon Ramo led electronics research at General Electric. He was incredibly productive, earning 25 patents before he was 30 years old. He became famous worldwide for his work with microwaves. He also led the team that developed GE's electron microscope, a powerful tool for seeing tiny things.
Work at Hughes Aircraft
In 1946, Ramo moved back to California to become the director of research for the electronics department at Hughes Aircraft. Here, he worked closely with Dean Wooldridge. They made a great team for many years. Wooldridge handled the business side, while Ramo focused on science and engineering.
By 1948, Hughes created its Aerospace Group to work with the new U.S. Air Force. Dr. Ramo became a Vice-President and the group's Director of Operations. He used his skills in "Systems Engineering," which is a special way of planning and building complex systems. This helped Hughes create systems that combined radar with controls for aircraft weapons. He also helped develop the Falcon missile, an air-to-air missile.
In 1953, Ramo and Dean Wooldridge left Hughes Aircraft to start their own company, the Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation. This company later became TRW Inc..
Leading the ICBM Program
By 1953, Ramo and the Air Force were unhappy with how things were being managed at Hughes. Ramo and Wooldridge decided to resign and, within a week, they formed the Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation on September 16, 1953.
In October 1953, a special committee was formed to think about the future of guided missiles. This committee, which included Ramo and Wooldridge, recommended a super-fast project to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). They believed this project could help the United States catch up to what Russia was doing by 1959 or 1960.
The Ramo-Wooldridge Corp. became the main company in charge of this Air Force program. With Dr. Ramo as the main science and engineering leader, they succeeded. In 1958, an Atlas rocket successfully sent a package 5,000 miles away. The Atlas rocket later launched NASA's first astronauts into orbit for Project Mercury, including John Glenn in Friendship 7. General Bernard Schriever, who led the ICBM program, called Ramo "the architect" of the Thor, Atlas, and Titan rockets.
Simon Ramo was also known for making smart and funny comments that explained difficult ideas simply. For example, during some rocket tests in the 1950s, rockets kept blowing up on the launch pad. When one missile rose only about 6 inches before falling over and exploding, Ramo reportedly smiled and said, "Well, Benny, now that we know the thing can fly, all we have to do is improve its range a bit."
Ramo-Wooldridge later joined forces with Thompson Products to become TRW Inc., and Simon Ramo became its Vice-Chairman. In 1964, TRW and Martin Marietta formed a new company called Bunker Ramo Corporation, with Ramo as President. This company grew into areas like computers and communication technology.
In 2008, he became a special professor of electrical engineering at the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering. Ramo was also one of the first members of the National Academy of Engineering.
Awards and Honors
Simon Ramo received many awards and honors throughout his long career. He was recognized by many important groups like the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Ramo also advised the United States government on science and technology. He was part of many important committees that advised the White House, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of State, and the Defense Department. President Gerald Ford asked Ramo to lead a committee of scientists and engineers to suggest important science and technology issues for the White House. Later, President Ford appointed Ramo to chair a committee that advised on how science and technology should be handled at the White House.
In 1980, President-elect Ronald Reagan asked Ramo to help choose people for government jobs where science and technology knowledge was needed. President Reagan later invited Ramo to be a Science Adviser to the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan). In this role, Ramo greatly helped Taiwan develop a strong high-technology industry.
On February 23, 1983, President Reagan gave Ramo the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the highest honors a civilian can receive in the United States.
In 1982, the IEEE created the IEEE Simon Ramo Medal to honor people who achieve great things in systems engineering and systems science. In 2007, the Space Foundation gave Ramo its highest honor, the General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award.
Ramo received many other awards, including:
- Founders Medal, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- John Fritz Medal, American Association of Engineering Societies
- Medal of Honor, Electronic Industries Association
- Delmer S. Fahrney Medal
- Space and Missile Pioneer Award, U.S. Air Force
- NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
- Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame inductee
He even received a patent at age 100 for using technology in education, making him the oldest American to be awarded a U.S. patent.
Personal Life
Simon Ramo was married to Virginia Smith from 1937 until her death in 2009. They had two sons, James Brian and Alan Martin, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Simon Ramo passed away on June 27, 2016, at the age of 103.
