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RI C HARD W. DAM O N
1 923-1 991
EDS. PAUL DAMON, ROBERT HALSTEAD,
TIMOTHY HUEMILLER, AND ROBERT PRICE1
RCHARD w DAMON distinguishecl himself in the research of
microwave magnetic anc! acoustic phenomena; in management
at Microwave Associates and Sperry Corporation; in professional
activities as president of the Institute of Electrical and Electron-
ics Engineers (IEEE); and in civic, church, and family activities
in Schenectady, New York, and Concord, Massachusetts, where
he was born May 14, 1923.
"When I was about ten, I decided that I was going to be a
scientist" Dick Damon wrote. He formed a "Society of Science"
at age eleven as a vehicle for him and his friends "to discuss
astronomy and other subjects that might appeal to us." Starting
with a deep interest in astronomy, he took up photography and
then chemistry and electronics, building a raclio transmitter as a
hobby. Winning a full scholarship to Harvard, he felt the strongly
competitive academic pressures there incleecI, Frederic de
Hoffman, who along with Edwarc} Teller conceived the hydro-
gen bomb in 1959, was his roommate. Following the shock of
Pearl Harbor, they switched from chemistry to physics, en cl
persuaded l. H. van Vleck, who in 1971 became a Nobelist, to
teach them both halves of a course in electricity and magnetism
at the same time.
1With contributions from additional family members and friends and
material drawn from the personal memoirs of Dr. Richard W. Damon.
61
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MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
As a U.S. Navy ensign (later lieutenantjunior grade), Dickwas
a senior officer in charge of installing shipboard sonar for the
invasion of Japan. After the war, he returned to Harvarc! for
graduate school. From attending "enthralling" lectures in elec-
tromagnetic theory given by Julian Schwinger, a 1965 Nobelist,
Dick decicled that he "really loved this stuff' and would go for
"my Ph.D. so that I could do research."
Initially Dick's dissertation was to be in making a new measure-
ment of the velocity of sound. This was interrupted, however,
when he left school to gain hancis-on competence in magnetrons
at Raytheon. His thesis then switched to measuring for the first
time the spin-lattice relaxation time of the ferromagnetic reso-
nance. This work was made possible through his knowledge of
magnetrons. Here Dick worked closelywith Nicolaas Bloember-
gen, a 1981 Nobelist, who stimulated him with a series of vital
insights leacling to their joint discovery of spin-wave instability
and of the band structure caused by spin-wave demagnetizing
fields. The work involved many months of concentrates} effort
and several setbacks. The thesis "in addition to the improver}
theory developed at Bell Labs," Dick noted, "established the
fundamental high power limitation of ferrite devices, such as
isolators and circulators, and also pointed the way to new non-
linear devices such as frequency doublers, power limiters and, a
few years later, a form of parametric amplifier."
Major portions of his landmark thesis have been presented in
Reviews of Modern Physics, vol. 25, pp. 239-245, January 1953; and
in his chapter in Magnetism, G. Rado and H. SuhI, eds., Academic
Press, 1963. Another kind of parametric amplifier, based on spin
waves in yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG) rather than in ferrite, was
developed jointly with Herman van de Vaart, published in the
Proceedings of the IFFF in 1965, and reported in the press. This
was a sequel to investigations on microwave magnetostatic (MS)
spin waves, and to the original exposition of surface MS waves,
done with John Eshbach at General Electric and published in the
Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, vol. ~ 9, p. 30S, ~ 961. Dick
was the first to observe bulk MS waves and make applications of
them. He held a number of patents in these areas.
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RICHARD W. DAMON
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Dick Damon's initial leadership position in industry was with
Microwave Associates (now M/A-COM) where in 1960 he was
appointed manager of the Microwave Control Devices Depart-
ment. But he haci receiver! numerous university teaching offers
from the time of his first postdoctora~job at the General Electric
Research Laboratory, where he tract been since 1951. For Dick it
was "hard to decide between industry and academia."
Dick's new company cooperated in enabling him to teach an
intensive graduate course in solid-state electronics at Harvarc! in
1962. This was "the opportunity to see how much I enjoyed
teaching," Dick observed. He found it to be "a challenging,
exciting experience."
Dick next joined the newly formed Sperry Rand Research
Center in Sudbury, Massachusetts, at the invitation of Karl
Willenbrock, a Harvard faculty member and consultant and the
1969 IEEE president, and Roger Newman, the center's first
manager, solicl-state sciences. Dick progressed rapidly to be-
come the director of the Applied Physics Laboratory. There he
was in charge of research into semiconductor crevices, tribology,
gas (discharge displays, magnetic disks, fiber optics, fingerprint
identification, surface acoustic waves, and other advanced pro-
grams. For those who worked in Dick's laboratory, his warm
personality and profound understanding of the scientific cre-
ative process, with all its highs en c! its lows, were a permanent
source of support. In spite of his busy schedule, he was always
ready to listen, encourage, and advise.
Dick's final position before he retired from Sperry was his
most influential one, as corporate director of technology. There
he had oversight of $500 million in research and development
programs annually. He became an adjunct professor at the
Gordon Institute after his retirement, ant! he also served as
director of the Matec Corporation.
Dick was deeply committed to public service and served the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in many ways.
He was on the editorial board of the Proceedings of the [FFF for
eight years, was the IEEE National Microwave Lecturer in 1969,
and became known for many other contributions to technical
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MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
and local chapter activities of the IEEE. As a result, in 1971 he
joined about a dozen other IEEE Boston Section members who
met as the "Rivers committee." This committee, put together by
Bob Rivers, considered! how to make the IEEE a more effective
advocate for engineers and for public understanding of the
engineering profession. The Rivers committee had a substantial
influence on the 1972 IEEE constitutional amendment to ini-
tiate such activities. The committee also adopted a set of seven
goals including "a lifetime engineering career with adequate
compensation" and "public support for engineering in solving
society's problems" that became the basis for the program of the
IEEE U.S. Activities Board with which Dick held numerous
positions from 1977 through 1984.
Through these activities Dick earned increasing recognition,
serving on the IEEE's board of directors in 1977-1978 and later
on the IEEE fellow selections committee. He earned respect too:
a 1979 letter from Bruno Weinschel, who became the IEEE
president in 1986, states, "T believe you are one of the most
capable and knowledgeable directors I have ever seen.... In
1979 you are not engaged in any IEEE activity. Considering your
abilities, pas/performance, talent, andwealth of knowledge, this
appears to me almost sinful." Still, Dick little realized where the
path that began with the Rivers committee would soon lead.
In 1980 Dick, nominated from the floor at an IEEE board of
directors meeting, became the directors' official nominee for
the IEEE presidency. "I can't say no, " was his modest explanation
for running for president of the IEEE, the largest engineering
society in the world. Dick ran unopposed but campaigned
anyhow, to encourage the spirit of volunteerism that he saw as
the IEEE's lifeblood.
Dick's objectives for the IEEE included, of course, excellence
in its technical and eclucational activities. "But," he stated
"competent technical performance is not enough!" He worked
for the objectives first enunciated by the Rivers committee, en cl
was particularly passionate in supporting improved pension
rights for working engineers. He also argued for more applica-
tions-oriented papers in IEEE conferences and publications and
advocates] strengthening the IEEE's visiting lecturer programs.
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RICHARD W. DAMON
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He urged the IEEE to develop publications and other means to
enhance public understancling of engineering ant] technology.
In speeches to engineering students, he challenged them to
consider policy positions in business, industry, and government
as well as the traditional engineering roles. Clearly, Dick lived up
to his own advice.
In addition to travels throughout the world for the IEEE, Dick
long rendered public service on important U.S. government
committees. He also was a fellow of the American Physical
Society and of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science. In 1989-Dick was elected to the National Academy of
~ . .
engineering.
Dick hac3 a broad range of interests in his personal life as well.
From an early age he was an avid outdoorsman and was commit-
ted to his local community, church, and family. Throughout his
life he displayed his talents for helping and leading others.
Concord, Massachusetts, still a rural community in the first
half of the century and where Dick grew up, was a perfect place
for developing an interest in the outdoors. Boy Scouts was an
important part of his life with the weekly hikes and community
service activities. His talent for helping others was also evident
here. In 1938 at age fifteen, he saved the lives of two friends who
had fallen through the ice on a local pond. He represented his
local community at the National Jamboree in Washington, D.C.,
in 1937, and went on to become an Eagle Scout. Throughout his
life Dick enjoyed hiking, fishing, and skiing.
Dick contributed his leaclership talents throughout his life in
his local community, his church, and his family. He served as
senior class president in high school en c! served the community
on various working committees of the town of Concord. While
living in Schenectady, New York, he served the First Methodist
Church as chairman of the Education Commission and the
board of stewards, and subsequently he was the lay leader, the
top lay position in the church. In his later years he served as a
trustee of the West Concord Union Church. His family and their
heritage were always important to him. He and his wife, Anna,
had three children and five grandchildren. In 1963 he bought
the Damon home in Concord, which was built as a wedding
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MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
present for his grandparents in 1884. In 1977 he and a partner
bought the Damon Mill in Concord, renovated it, and converted
it into office space. The Damon Mill had been built by Dick's
great grandfather in the 1860s.
These, then, were his accomplishments, his life. Giving of
himself to his research; to his management responsibilities; to
his professional societies; and to his community, church, and
family, Dick Damon accomplished much in his life, contributing
right up to the end. He died on February 15, 1991.
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
electronics engineers
