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Tom Graves.
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A little SOFAR update from Tom Graves.
As a result of the student anti-Viet Nam War demonstrations during 1968 & 1969 at Columbia University, Columbia decided to give up Government military research, and ‘kicked us out’. Gordon Hamilton got the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to transfer our research contracts to a new non-profit research group, Palisades Geophysical Institute, which had been set up for exactly that purpose. In 1973, Gordon left to take a civil service job in D.C with ONR. Carl Hartdegen took over as PGI Director at Sofar Station in Bermuda. In the 70's we started doing less pure acoustic research and more applied acoustics for the Navy locating Submarine launched missile test impacts in the mid ocean. When the Navy started testing in the Pacific, they relocated us to Cape Canaveral Fl. Carl died suddenly of a heart attack in Feb 1991, and I took over as Director. I tell everyone that I had a wonderful job for 30 years and then they made me boss and it sucked. In 2001, the Navy decided to put our work up for competitive bidding and we lost the contract, so I retired, and have enjoyed it ever since.
Both Kevin Laudadio and Liz Laudadio are still here, living in Merritt Island. Brian Patterson passed away about 10 years ago, and his wife Margaret (Elsie) still lives here but visits Bda regularly as her daughter, Coral lives there. Brian Turner moved to Florida with us but he has also passed away. His kids were lifelong friends with mine - the son Steve (who was my son Greg’s best man) is back in Bermuda and working for Esso in St Georges.
My wife Sheila died of cancer two years age, and when we visited last summer we left some of her ashes on Castle Island.
Tom Graves.
Posted Nov.15th 2013.
Both Kevin Laudadio and Liz Laudadio are still here, living in Merritt Island. Brian Patterson passed away about 10 years ago, and his wife Margaret (Elsie) still lives here but visits Bda regularly as her daughter, Coral lives there. Brian Turner moved to Florida with us but he has also passed away. His kids were lifelong friends with mine - the son Steve (who was my son Greg’s best man) is back in Bermuda and working for Esso in St Georges.
My wife Sheila died of cancer two years age, and when we visited last summer we left some of her ashes on Castle Island.
Tom Graves.
Posted Nov.15th 2013.
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(Left to Right.) Miles Mayall, Tom Graves, Peter Grayston in the Plotting Room. I wonder what they are plotting?!
Photo taken by Frank Watlington Jan. 1970. Courtesy of Kerry Abukhalaf (Frank Watlington's grand-daughter).
Posted June 2023
Posted June 2023