Simon "Si" Ramo (May 7, 1913 – June 27, 2016) was an American engineer, businessman, and author. He led development of microwave and missile technology and is sometimes known as the father of the

intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more Thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear warheads). Conven ...

(ICBM). He also developed General Electric's

electron microscope An electron microscope is a microscope that uses a beam of electrons as a source of illumination. It uses electron optics that are analogous to the glass lenses of an optical light microscope to control the electron beam, for instance focusing it ...

. He played prominent roles in the formation of two Fortune 500 companies, Ramo-Wooldridge ( TRW after 1958, now part of

Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and Arms industry, defense company. With 97,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $40 billion, it is one of the world's largest Arms industry ...

) and Bunker Ramo Corporation (now part of

Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building automation, industrial automa ...

Early years

Ramo was born in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, the son of Clara (Trestman) and Benjamin Ramo. His father was a Polish Jewish immigrant and his mother was a Russian Jewish immigrant. He entered the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

at the age of 16, where he joined

Theta Tau Theta Tau () is a professional collegiate engineering fraternity. The fraternity has programs to promote the social, academic, and professional development of its members. Theta Tau is the oldest and largest professional engineering fraternity ...

Professional Engineering Fraternity and earned a B.S. in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

at the age of 20. By 1936, at the age of 23, he had earned dual PhD degrees from

Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private university, private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small g ...

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

and electrical engineering.

Career

General Electric

From 1936 until 1946, he led electronics research at

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...

, where he accumulated 25 patents before the age of 30 and was cited as one of America's most outstanding young electrical engineers. He became globally recognized as a leader in

microwave Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than other radio waves but longer than infrared waves. Its wavelength ranges from about one meter to one millimeter, corresponding to frequency, frequencies between 300&n ...

research and headed the development of GE's

Hughes Aircraft

In 1946 he returned to California to become director of research for the electronics department of

Hughes Aircraft The Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace company, aerospace and defense contractor founded on February 14, 1934 by Howard Hughes in Glendale, California, as a division of the Hughes Tool Company. The company produced the Hughes ...

, and his career became coupled with that of Dean Wooldridge. Together they formed a successful team for many years, with Wooldridge concentrating on investment and general business aspects while Ramo led research, development and engineering. By 1948, Hughes had created its Aerospace Group to work with the newly created U.S. Air Force. Dr. Ramo became a Vice-President and the Group's Director of Operations. Ramo employed his skills in Systems Engineering to allow Hughes to deliver integrated RADAR and aircraft fire-control systems. He developed the air-to-air missile, creating the Falcon missile. In 1953 Ramo and Dean Wooldridge left Hughes Aircraft and formed the Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation, later TRW Inc.

Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation (TRW Inc.)

By 1953 Ramo and the Air Force had become increasingly frustrated with management problems at Hughes. Ramo and Wooldridge were particularly concerned when

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

avoided their attempts to discuss the problem. In September they jointly resigned, and within a week they formed the Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation on September 16, 1953. In October 1953 an Assistant Secretary of Defense, Trevor Gardner, created a committee to consider the future of guided missiles. This Strategic Missile Evaluation Committee (SMEC) was headed by

John von Neumann John von Neumann ( ; ; December 28, 1903 – February 8, 1957) was a Hungarian and American mathematician, physicist, computer scientist and engineer. Von Neumann had perhaps the widest coverage of any mathematician of his time, in ...

and included both Ramo and Wooldridge. In four months, the committee produced their report and recommended that a crash program was needed to develop

s, and that such a program might enable the United States to overtake Russian developments by 1959 or 1960. The Ramo-Wooldridge Corp. became the lead contractor for the resulting Air Force program. With Dr. Ramo as the driving scientific and engineering officer, they succeeded. In 1958, an Atlas rocket delivered a payload 5,000 miles downrange. The Atlas would go on to serve as the launch vehicle for NASA's Project Mercury orbital flights, starting with

John Glenn John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space and the first to orbit the Earth, circling it three times in 1 ...

in Friendship 7. USAF General Bernard Schriever, head of the ICBM program, described Ramo as "the architect of the

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...

, and Titan" rockets. According to a July 30, 2002, article, Ramo's comments are legendary for capsulizing complex ideas into off-the-cuff witticisms. During a series of key experiments of ballistic missiles in the 1950s at Cape Canaveral, Florida, at which Ramo and Air Force General Bernard Schriever were observers, test rockets kept blowing up on their launch pads. When one missile rose about 6 inches before toppling over and exploding, Ramo reportedly beamed and said: "Well, Benny, now that we know the thing can fly, all we have to do is improve its range a bit." Ramo-Wooldridge merged with Thompson Products to become

TRW Inc. TRW Inc. was an American corporation involved in a variety of businesses, mainly aerospace, electronics, Automotive industry, automotive, and Credit bureau, credit reporting.http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/TRW-Inc-Company-Hist ...

, and Simon Ramo became Vice-Chairman. In 1964, TRW and Martin Marietta formed the jointly owned Bunker Ramo Corporation with Ramo as President, which expanded into the computer and communications technology fields. In January 2008, he joined the faculty of the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

's Viterbi School of Engineering as a presidential chair and professor of electrical engineering.Legendary Engineer Joins USC Viterbi
, USC News, January 10, 2008. Ramo is also a founding member of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

Awards, appointments and fellowships

Over the course of his career, Ramo received numerous awards and fellowships. He was honored by the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

, the

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is an American 501(c)(3) public charity professional organization for electrical engineering, electronics engineering, and other related disciplines. The IEEE has a corporate office ...

(IEEE), the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of ...

, and the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

. Ramo served as an advisor to the United States government on science and technology. He was a member of the National Science Board, the White House Council on Energy R&D, the Advisory Council to the Secretary of Commerce, the Advisory Council to the Secretary of State for Science and Foreign Affairs, and of many special advisory committees to the Defense Department and

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

. President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

appointed Ramo as co-chairman of a committee of distinguished scientists and engineers, requesting Ramo to list the science and technology issues most deserving of attention by the White House and to recommend actions. Following this, Ramo was appointed by President Ford to be chairman of The President's Advisory Committee on Science and Technology, a position created by Congress to advise on how to ensure that science and technology matters receive proper attention at the White House. In 1980, then-President-elect

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

asked Ramo to assemble a transition task force to advise on executive branch appointments where science and technology background was desirable. President Reagan subsequently invited Ramo to be a Science Adviser to the President of the Republic of China. In that assignment, Ramo aided greatly Taiwan's development of a strong high-technology industry. On February 23, 1983, Ramo was presented with the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, alongside the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by decision of the president of the United States to "any person recommended to the President ...

by President Reagan. In 1982, the IEEE Board of Directors initiated the

IEEE Simon Ramo Medal Through its awards program, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers recognizes contributions that advance the fields of interest to the IEEE. For nearly a century, the IEEE Awards Program has paid tribute to technical professionals w ...

for exceptional achievement in systems engineering and systems science. In 1988, Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity inducted Simon Ramo, Lambda (Utah)'33, into it
Alumni Hall of Fame
. In 2007, the

Space Foundation The Space Foundation is an American nonprofit organization, the mission of which is to advocate for all sectors of the global space industry through space awareness activities, educational programs, and major industry events. It was founded in ...

awarded Ramo its highest honor, the General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award. In 2009, th
Theta Tau Educational Foundation
named an annual scholarship in his honor. Additional awards: * Founders Medal,

* John Fritz Medal, American Association of Engineering Societies * Medal of Honor, Electronic Industries Association * Kagan Medal,

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

* Henry Heald Award,

Illinois Institute of Technology The Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Illinois Tech and IIT, is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the m ...

* Annual Award,

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

* Golden Plate Award,

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a nonprofit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest-achieving people in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet one ano ...

* Distinguished Service Medal, Armed Forces Communication and Electronics Association * Delmer S. Fahrney Medal * Aesculapian Award, UCLA School of Medicine * Durand Medal, Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics * Space and Missile Pioneer Award, U.S. Air Force * Pioneer Award, International Council on Systems Engineering * Howard Hughes Memorial Award * Distinguished Alumnus Award,

* National Trophy for Lifetime Achievement,

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

* NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal *

Presidential Medallion *

General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award *

Junior Achievement JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide is a global non-profit youth organization. It was founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and Winthrop M. Crane. JA works with local businesses, schools, and organizations to deliver experiential ...

U.S. Business Hall of Fame inductee Ramo received numerous patents including one at age 100 concerning the use of technology in education making him the oldest American to be awarded a U.S. patent.

Publications

Ramo authored dozens of books on topics ranging from science textbooks, corporate and technology management, society's relation to technology, economy, and how to play tennis. A selection: * Fields and Waves in Modern Radio by Simon Ramo and John R. Whinnery (1944) * Introduction to Microwaves (1945) * Peacetime Uses of Space (1959, 1977) * Fields and Waves in Communication Electronics (1965) * Extraordinary Tennis For The Ordinary Player (1970) * The Islands of E, Cono & My (1973) * America's Technology Slip (1980) * The Management of Innovative Technological Corporations (1980) * What's Wrong with Our Technological Society—and How to Fix it (1983) * Tennis By Machiavelli (1984) * The Business of Science: Winning and Losing in the High-Tech Age (1988) * Meetings, Meetings, and More Meetings: Getting Things Done When People Are Involved (2005) * Strategic Business Forecasting: A Structured Approach to Shaping the Future of Your Business by Dr. Simon Ramo and Dr. Ronald Sugar (2009) * Tales from the Top: How CEOs Act and React (2011) * To Wit: A Sense of Humor - A Mandatory Tool of Management (2011) * Let Robots do the Dying (2011) * Guided Missile Engineering: University of California Engineering Extension Series by Allen E. Puckett and Simon Ramo (2013) ;About Simon Ramo * Stephen B. Johnson; ''The Secret of Apollo: Systems Management in American and European Space Programs'' 2002, The Johns Hopkins University Press (). * Davis Dyer; ''TRW: Pioneering Technology and Innovation since 1900'' 1998, Harvard Business School Press (). * G. Harry Stine; ''ICBM'' 1991, Orion Books (). * Ernest Schwiebert; ''History of the U.S. Air Force Ballistic Missiles'' 1965, Praeger Publishers.

Personal life

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

References

External links

Biographic sketch at IEEE websiteList of Founding Members of National Academy of EngineeringBiographical sketch by the International Council on Systems Engineering
* ttp://digital.hagley.org/VID_1993230_B186_ID06_01 ''Interview with Simon Ramo recorded in 1989'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramo, Simon 1913 births 2016 deaths Businesspeople from Salt Lake City American men centenarians American electrical engineers American physicists American people of Polish-Jewish descent American people of Russian-Jewish descent California Institute of Technology trustees California Institute of Technology alumni Founding members of the United States National Academy of Engineering Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences National Medal of Science laureates Rocket scientists American systems engineers TRW Inc. University of Southern California faculty University of Utah alumni Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Scientists from Salt Lake City 20th-century American businesspeople Jewish centenarians