Roger Lee Easton Sr.

Hope this reaches you, Barbara - my condolences for your loss. - Margaret DePriester

Always a teacher and mentor, Roger took the time to correspond with me in 2007 to provide technical assistance as I was creating a high-fidelity mockup of the Vanguard 1 satellite. He loaded me up with technical data from his personal files. He also introduced me to Marty Votaw.
Roger was truly a genius. I was so lucky to have the chance to correspond with him. I will never look up at the night sky without thinking of him as his little satellite orbits the planet as it will for the next...

Roger was my mentor at The Naval Research Lab. I joined the lab in April 1950 and was assigned to the Rocket Sonde Branch where I first met Roger. Later I became responsible for rocket payload integration. In 1952 we began developing Interferometer method for use in rocket guidance. In 1955 Roger converted that experience into the method used for tracking the Vanguard Satellites, now known as the Minitrack Satellite Tracking system. He and I co-laborated on many of the unique developments...

Roger Easton was one of my father (Julian Holmes)'s best friends, and a close colleague as well at the Naval Research Lab. Aside from stories I heard from my father, I have happy memories of making huge silk screen campaign posters in Roger's basement when we were kids and our parents were working on various activist activities. My best to Roger's family and friends.

I was a good friend of Roger, Jr. in high school and remember Roger Sr. very fondly. He was a wonderful man. My best wishes in these trying times.

I had the honor and pleasure of working with Roger on Project Vanguard. Roger already had his unique and wonderful reputation; I was only the administrative assistant to the Project Director, Dr. John P. Hagen. Roger was patient in frustrating times, never without a wry sense of humor, and always understanding when I couldn't solve his problems immediately. To be able to claim to be a fellow "Vanguardian" has always made me proud.

I enjoyed working with Roger and Barbara on thier King Hill farm. A wonderful couple who took a lot of pleasure from the simple things in life.

Roger: I had the professional satisfaction of knowing and working with your through the Naval Research Lab, and the personal pleasure of visting you and Barbara many times in Canaan. Your kindness and good cheer to my wife and I will stay with us always.

To Barbara Easton and all of Roger Easton's family:
I met you when I worked in the Hanover Schools as a technology instructor and asked if I could film an interview of Roger telling about some of his accomplishments. My goal was to have my students use the footage to produce video essays about someone local who had contributed to computer history.
Thanks to the kindness and generosity of Roger and Barbara, I not only interviewed them and saw their duplicate of the...