1970 -1979
The next 10 years at the labs were the most transformative of my life.
The successful first two years had opened a number of possible jobs. I was still primarily working directly with Mr. Walker but found that I had enough independence to find jobs myself or by recommendation.
I flitted from job to job, working for the Transportation Division on fault analysis on traction systems and solving the defect on the hydraulic brake activators on San Francisco “Bay Area Regional Transit System”.
I also worked for the Lamp and Lighting Division on ballasts for High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide Street lighting lamps.
I did a design study for Westinghouse Canada, based in Hamilton, Ontario. The city of Toronto wanted bids for a new electric transit system using the existing 600v dc electrical system, using synchronous ac motors and they only had six weeks.
Need less to say, it was dropped in my lap and I had to pull out all the stops to get it done in time, at which point, I had to go up to Hamilton to present the scheme to them. They were delighted with the detail. Toronto thought it a little too ambitious and turned it down. However, the engineering manager in Hamilton, wrote a most appreciative letter to Mr. Walker, extolling the design and the short time taken.
I did a fair amount of work for the Gas Physics Department on pulsars for small laser systems, culminating in a large military scheme in 1980, of which, we won.
One job, of which I am most proud of was for a design to make a hydraulic brake actuator for a rapid transit system.
Apparently, this existing hydraulic brake can “grab”, causing some consternation with the passengers (and injuries). A Dr. Putnam of another dept. had come up with the idea of an acceleration / deceleration purpose. For that he needed someone with hydraulic system experience, hence me!!
Though I had never designed a hydraulic actuator it was a great experience and I was able to demonstrate a working unit to him.
During this 10 years I had 12 more patent disclosures filed and 7 more patents issued, making 11 in all.
In about 1973, I had come home late (as usual) and sat down to a late dinner when I noticed that Susan, was being most attentive to my every request.
Finally, I asked the “what’s up”, at which point she burst into her story. Apparently, a friend of hers at school, Alison Hamm, had been invited by her grandfather in Hawaii to visit. Since grandfather lived on his own, Alison’s father wanted someone to accompany her, “could she go?”
Fortunately, that very day I had received a $200 patent award, so it was a no brainer to say “yes”.
Her father was a scientist at the labs and she had an older brother who was a perpetual student. He must have been in his late twenties and already had 3 doctorates and was working on his 4th. Imagine, no work experience at all, still living at home.
Sue never got over the experience, jumbo jet with upstairs bar. Drinks bought for them by smitten younger passengers.
In about 1975, I was sharing an office with a Chinese Engineer, named Shan Sun. He was then working on his M.S. at the University of Pittsburgh and recommended it to me. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I and another engineer Ian Whyte, also English went down to the college to find out what we could do. Ian had no problem as he had a degree from an English University, but they were a bit mystified about me. I was then an A.M.I.E.E so I remembered Mr. Webb at Twickingham Technical College and wrote to him explaining the situation. He apparently was just about to retire but remembered us well and he sent an explanation letter detailing the equivalent to a B.S.
With this in hand, I went back to the University and was accepted.
This entailed 2 years of 3 nights a week at the University, with the home work done at the weekends. At the end of the initial course work I opted to provide a thesis instead of further course work and wrote a thesis on “Magnetic Devices”.
It so happed that one of the thesis examiners was the same Dr. Meiksin who had worked with me in 1968.
Anyway, this thesis was accepted and approved and in 1977 I got my M.S. (In Power Engineering, as I thought I already knew enough about Electrical Engineering). I should, perhaps point out that Westinghouse was very motivated for further education. As long as you maintain a B+ or A in each course, they would compensate the initial outlay so, in effect, all the classes were paid for.
In about 1977 I was given the project of covering the field of electrical pulse generation, with reference to laser application. I did an exhaustive search and wrote a full report, which, is to my surprise, was given a Property Class 1 designation, with extremely limited distribution. Shortly afterwards, the manager of Gas Physics Group, another scientist and I were requested to attend a meeting with the Defense Group in Baltimore. We flew down in the early morning and made our way to the Westinghouse Division. Then, to my surprise, I found that, since I didn’t have Secret Classification I wouldn’t be able to attend the meeting room all morning while they discussed my report.
On our return, I was directed to apply for Security Clearance and in due course obtained my secret classification. I found out later, that people from the Embassy in England had been up in Scotland checking on my references.
In 1978 we had a preview of the disaster that was coming for Westinghouse.
They distributed around the labs a brochure from the Westinghouse Credit Corp. A stand-alone group that invested in land, housing tracts and similar. They had a number of housing estates in South Central and South Western Florida and were offering building lots at a big discount to Westinghouse employees. Jeannie had always wanted a place in Florida, so I signed up, and in due course, found I had been allocated a lot on an estate not far from Sebring. I called to say that I would be in the area in about 2 weeks and whether I could select one myself. “no” they told me, “if you want to select your own plot then the Westinghouse discount did not apply”. I immediately told them to cancel my application.
Sure enough, in about 2 weeks’ time we drove down to Florida, spent 3 days at the Magic Kingdom and went on to West Palm Beach to stay with my Uncle Harry and Auntie Dolly.
While with them, Harry wanted to take me up to Cypress Gardens, not too far from Disney. We had a great day there and as Sebring was almost on the way back I persuaded Harry to drop by the Sebring address. What a surprise!! They had a rather wet summer and the great archway and the road going straight back were the only things clear of water. There were a couple of homes on the raised lots, but all the rest was under water. I’m afraid I laughed all the rest of the way back to West Palm Beach.
As it was, it was a sign of what was to come to Westinghouse. In 1990, the Credit Corporation lost over 1 billion dollars in bad loans, Westinghouse sold off all the Engineering Divisions, keeping only the Broadcasting Division and finally renamed itself in 1997 as the CBS Corporation. What a downfall. I remember reading one analysis of why the Credit Corp failed. Apparently, when they bought the land, they valued it on what they thought it would be worth, rather than its actual purchase value and they were rather optimistic in their forecasts. The enhanced evaluations made them the golden division and senior management were totally deceived.
During this 10 years, we added an extension to the house, measuring the size of the bedrooms, opening the attic into a third bedroom and fully finished half of the basement and a toilet and shower upstairs. We converted the oil-fired furnace to natural gas, by bringing in a gas line from the road front. Converted the septic system to a city sewage system and added city water to the existing deep well self-contained system. If memory serves we paid about $24,000 for the house and land but the upgrades didn’t come cheap, though I was able to do quite a bit on my own.
Co2 UV Pre-ionized Laser (Westinghouse R & D Division in Pittsburgh, PA)
1970 -1979