Clarence Lee Tipton

Clarence Lee Tipton Sept 5, 1920 - June 30, 2011 Clarence Lee (Tip) Tipton, a 39-year Naval Research Laboratory research analyst and WWII veteran, died on June 30, 2011. Originally from Holyoke, MA, he was a 66 year resident of Alexandria, VA. He was a graduate of George Washington University and a member of the Good Shepherd Church. His wartime service saw active duty in both the Pacific and Atlantic theatres. He was aboard the USS MCCALL (DD400) at Pearl Harbor. At the Normandy landings, he was aboard the USS Arkansas (BB30). This ship provided fire support to the lunching forces of Omaha Beach. Following the war, he continued service in the Navy Department by joining the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). He retired from NRL as a systems analyst and engineering psychologist. During his tenure, he became Head of the Special Studies Office in the Office of the Director of Research. He received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award for his contribution to the United States' early space surveillance program, Project SPASUR. SPASUR provided the satellite tracking data in the days of SPUTNIK. Unique among the many research programs was Project ORCON. This project designated "organic control" and guidance of airborne missiles. Based on the Department of Defense proposals and techniques of the eminent psychologist B.F. Skinner, Mr. Tipton outfitted and trained pigeons to detect and successfully track aerial views of naval vessels. The majority of his research efforts were in the field of man/machine interfaces. A major contribution to the human factors field was his research paper detailing standardized display treatments that optimized the human control of complex craft. He was a member of, and contributor to, the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Golf was his favorite avocation. He was an original member of the NRL golf league and founder of the "GOTCHA" golf team. In 1982, he won the club championship of Greendale Golf course in Fairfax County. Although not a licensed contractor, much of his retirement was spent building and remodeling homes. His immediate survivors include his sister, Jo Anne Wildman, of Vero Beach, FL; his current wife of 47 years, the former Ellen Cook of Alexandria, VA; and their two children: Tiffany Tipton and Sandra McMaster both of Alexandria, VA; two children from his first marriage to Amy Thompson (deceased) Karla Costello of Waldorf, MD; Timothy Tipton of Bethesda, MD; five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Vitas Hospice Care. https://vitascharityfunds.org/donation They have sustained our family beyond all expectations.