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Frank W. Widmann Haddonfield, NJ QCWA # 27912 |
Frank W. Widmann, 88, died May 3, 2010. A Haddonfield resident since 1946, he is survived by his beloved wife, Frances D. Widmann, a daughter Elizabeth W. Spona, BA, BSRN (Lizzy) and her husband Michael, and a son, Franklin L. Widmann, BA, J.D. Also survived by a sister-in-law Norma Widmann (deceased brother Lawrence C. Widmann, BSEE, MSEE), and a sister Mildred R. Etzler. Brother, Raymond J. Widmann, VMD is deceased.
Mr. Widmann graduated from Girard College HS in 1938, earned a BSEE from Drexel Univ. and a MSEE at the Univ. of Pennsylvania.
He served in the US Army during WWII, and was then employed by RCA for 40 years (retired in 1986).
During his career he was Manager of the Design & Development Engineering at the Missile and Surface Radar Division for all of the programs at the RCA Plant in Moorestown, NJ, including radars for the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS), Missile Guidance Control Systems, Missile Test Ranges, and the pedestal and antenna for communications between moon and earth.
He was promoted to RCA Research and Engineering at the RCA Laboratories in Princeton, NJ, developing and implementing programs for all of RCA.s engineering divisions.
He received a commendation for serving on a government-industry Cable Television Advisory Committee (CTAC) established by Federal Communications Commissioner Quello to establish regulations and standards governing the cable television industry.
He returned to the RCA Missile and Surface Radar Division with responsibility for engineering design review, reliability analysis engineering and logistics engineering for all of the Division programs, notably the Over-The-Horizon radar and the AEGIS (Shield of the Fleet System). AEGIS is used to defend the fleet from incoming threats from any direction and is deployed worldwide primarily by the US, but also by Norway, Japan, South Korea and Spain.
He was a Life member of two Honorary Scholastic Engineering Societies, Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu. He was also a Life Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and the Institute of Environmental Sciences. He was a Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of New Jersey. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Haddonfield since 1946.
He was a member of Wedgewood Swim Club and the Holiday Rambler Recreation Vehicle Club. He was also a FCC licensed Amateur Radio Operator since 1969 (Call Sign: WA2YSW) and was a Life member of the American Radio Relay League.
Interment, private.
Memorial donations may be made in Mr. Widmann's name to Girard College Alumni Assn, 2101 S College Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19121.
(Source: The South Jersey Sun)
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Frank W. Widmann, 88, of Cherry Hill, a longtime Radio Corp. of America engineer who helped design various significant radars, died Monday, May 3, at Virtua Hospital in Voorhees following a heart attack.
After World War II, Mr. Widmann began working as an engineer for RCA in the Moorestown plant. He soon rose to manager of design and development engineering within the missile and surface radar division.
While in that position, Mr. Widmann oversaw the development of some high-profile radars, such as the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS), and also the pedestal and antenna for communication between the moon and Earth.
"He was very well-respected, He was a very skilled electrical engineer," said Tim Worrell, a friend who also worked at RCA.
Mr. Widmann also worked in the research and engineering division at the RCA Princeton facility for a few years.
During the last 15 years of his career, Mr. Widmann was responsible for engineer design review and logistics engineering for all of the missile and surface radar division's programs including the Over-the-Horizon radar and Aegis combat system.
He retired in 1986.
Throughout his career, Mr. Widmann juggled various hobbies, including swimming and vacationing in his recreation vehicle. His biggest passion, however, was amateur radio.
The FCC-licensed amateur radio operator, whose call sign was WA2YSW, was a life member of the American Radio Relay League. The Widmann backyard sported a 70-foot radio tower, said his wife, Frances, who along with their son, Frank, also was an amateur radio operator.
Mr. Widmann was active in the South Jersey Radio Association since 1960 and served as president in 1976. Through the '70s and '80s, he would go out on Field Day, a June weekend each year when amateur radio enthusiasts worked in emergency communication preparedness.
He and his wife also drove their RV to radio club conventions throughout the country.
In 1990, Mr. Widmann became bedridden due to leg and hip disabilities, but he was active on the radio until about two years ago, Worrell said. He moved from Haddonfield, where he had lived with his wife since 1946, to Cadbury Senior Services in Cherry Hill in 2000 and took a small amateur radio set with him.
Mr. Widmann was born in Philadelphia. When he was 9, his mother enrolled him at Girard College High School after his father died.
He lived at Girard until his high school graduation in 1938 and remained a loyal alum throughout his life. In 1999, he received an alumni award of merit.
After high school, he moved in with his grandparents in Audubon and commuted to what is now Drexel University, his wife said. In 1943, he received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.
That same year, he went into the Army. The night before he was to go overseas, a vehicle struck him while he was walking on the side of the road. He was pinned to a pole and sustained a broken leg and hip, which resulted in a six-month hospital stay.
Once he was released, he walked with a limp and could not be a soldier, so he worked as a radio repairman in Fort Monmouth until 1946.
In September of that year, he married Frances De Maris, whom he had met a year before at the Shore.
In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Widmann is survived by a daughter, Frances E. Spona, and a sister.
His funeral was Saturday, May 8, and he was interred in Brigadier Gen. William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown.
(Source: Philly.com)