Robert Ward

Robert B. Ward

Passed away on December 28, 2014. Beloved spouse and friend to Louise, father to Byron and Kim, stepfather to Neil O'Connor (Shannon). Brother to Jack Ward (Ethel), Marilyn Chittenden (Bruce), Jim (Susan) and uncle to 14 nieces and nephews.
In 1943, Bob planned to graduate from Topeka High School as soon as possible and get some college in before having to enter the service. He entered Washburn University in the fall of 1943 while carrying two courses at THS. He entered Yale on a scholarship and completed his freshman year in November 1944 and entered the Navy where he completed classes in Radar/Electronics and graduated at the top his class. After discharge from the Navy in 1946, he re-entered Yale in the fall of 1946 as a Sophomore on the G.I. Bill. In April 1948, he was taken into Tau Beta Pi, Yale Chapter Engineering Honor Society; in March 1949, he was taken into Sigma Xi, Yale Chapter Scientific Research Honor Society. He graduated in 1949 from Yale with a BSEE first in Electrical Engineering Department and 2nd in the Engineering School.
In 1949, his career started at Sperry Gyroscope Company, Great Neck, Long Island working on the U.S. Navy's Sparrow air-to-air missile program for 1 year; in 1950, he worked at the Navy's Point Mugu, Ca. test base and did field testing of Sparrow missiles and airborne guidance radar. In June 1957, he entered Stanford University on leave from Sperry with a Raytheon Fellowship. Obtained MSEE in June 1958. In June 1958 to June 1963, Bob worked at Sperry's Sunnyvale Development Center as Research Section Head while attending Stanford's Honors Cooperative program. He received a PHD in 1963. His thesis was "Transistor Class C Amplifiers". At Sperry he received U.S. Patent 3,179, 905 Waveguide Switch.
In June 1963 he began work at the Research Laboratory of Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. Palo Alto, CA. He retired from full time work in 1993 and immediately placed on part time status as a Consulting Scientist. In 1966, he became a Registered Engineer, State of California. In 1967, he received an award from NASA for IEEE paper "Acquisition Of Pseudonoise Signals by Sequential Estimation". Bob continued his career at Lockheed Missiles and Space Co.and in 1981, Bob received the Robert E. Gross Award as Engineer/Scientist of the year in the Advanced Systems Division. In 1982, he received another patent in Relative Phase Sensor Employing Surface Acoustic Waves. Bob continued to have other patents and had written many Technical Publications with other scientists at Advanced Systems Division of Lockheed Missiles and Space Co.
Bob learned to ski along with his children and in 1966 to 1972 he managed Little League teams and League President in 1972. In 1974 he began playing tennis; he played Bridge since he was a young child. In 1975 to 1980 he did recording for the Blind as a volunteer activity, in which Textbooks for blind students were recorded on tape. Bob created crossword puzzles and had three puzzles published, He traveled extensively and visited forty foreign countries, Hawaii and Alaska.
Our Bob will be greatly missed by his family and friends. A Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 15 from 4pm to 8pm at Crippen & Flynn Carlmont Chapel, 1111 Alameda de las Pulgas in Belmont. A Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, January 16, 11am at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 1040 Alameda de las Pulgas in Belmont. Sign the guestbook at www.crippenflynn.com