The GW Engineering Hall of Fame
2006 Inductees

 

 

Biographies of the 2006 Inductees

 

 

GARY BARD

MS '62, Electrical Engineering
CEO and Chairman of the Board (Retired)
Aydin Corporation
Jupiter, Florida

GARY BARD received his MS in electrical engineering from The George Washington University in 1962 while serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy, after earning his BSEE from the University of Pennsylvania. Upon completing his active service, he earned an MBA from Temple University. Mr. Bard has more than 35 years of experience in electronics, communications, computer science, graphics and image processing, intelligent workstation development, systems integration, and all levels of management. He has been the CEO of five companies, three of which were developers and manufacturers of advanced technology products, and two of which were information systems implementers.

Until October of 1998, Mr. Bard was the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Aydin Corporation, a NYSE company. Aydin was a developer and manufacturer of products and systems for the acquisition and distribution of information over electronic communication media. This was the third time in his career that Mr. Bard worked for Aydin. When Aydin was formed in 1967, he worked as a product-line manager. He returned to Aydin as president of the controls division in 1976. During this tenure, Mr. Bard was appointed executive vice president and elected to the Board of Directors. Aydin was sold to L3 Corporation in April 1999.

From October 1995 until his appointment as Chairman and CEO of Aydin Corporation, Mr. Bard served as vice president of government systems for Unisys Corporation. Previously, he had worked as a management consultant and a private venture investor, and served as the CEO of XAPPS Corporation and president of the integrated systems division of Computer Sciences Corporation. Mr. Bard was responsible for development and life cycle support of large military real-time tactical and strategic command and control systems, and for the development and lifecycle support of many large information technology systems that provided the Department of Defense and civilian agencies with information needed to manage their affairs.

Mr. Bard holds several patents in the field of computer display technology and analog to digital conversion. He has served on the board of directors of several companies and on the board of trustees of several universities. He is immediate past-chairman of the National Advisory Council for the School of Engineering and Applied Science at GW, a leadership position he held for six years. Mr. Bard received the Engineer Alumni Achievement Award from the Engineer Alumni Association at the SEAS commencement ceremonies in May 2006.

 

Gail E. Boggs

BS '48, Electrical Engineering
President & CEO (Retired)
ELS Inc.
Sarasota, Florida

GAIL BOGGS grew up in the Chicago area and first enrolled in college there. He began active duty in the US Army in 1943 and came to Washington, DC in 1944 to work for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), predecessor to the CIA. While working for the OSS, Mr. Boggs enrolled part-time at The George Washington University on the GI Bill and continued his education. He received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from GW and his MS in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland. His area of expertise is in communications and engineering logistics support; he holds four patents.

Mr. Boggs formed a consulting engineering firm, Boggs & Hekimian, with friend and classmate Norris Hekimian, BS '49, and in 1955 joined Page Communications. He left Page as Vice President in 1963 to found In Telco, where he served as president and CEO. With Mr. Boggs again serving as president and chief stock holder, GE Boggs & Associates was incorporated in 1976 to provide engineering, logistics, and management support services to the Department of Defense and industry. A year later, the Engineering & Logistics Services Division was established. In 1983, the Company was re-incorporated as ELS Inc., and in 1987 it was purchased via an employee stock ownership program. Mr. Boggs then retired.

The company remains in business today and has a highly qualified staff of professionals providing fully integrated engineering, logistics, and programmatic support services to a wide range of platforms, equipments, and systems. ELS's areas of expertise include Combat Systems Engineering, Systems Engineering, Program Management Planning and Support; Integrated Logistics Support; Logistics Engineering Support; Acquisition, Program, and Financial Management; Information Technology; and Business Process Improvement. Mr. Boggs received the Engineer Achievement Award from the Engineer Alumni Association in 1978. For more than four decades, he also enjoyed spending many hours in the air as a private pilot.

 

WILLIAM J. ELLENBERGER

BS '30, Electrical Engineering
BS '34, Mechanical Engineering
Engineer Consultant (Retired)
Escondido, California

WILLIAM ELLENBERGER enrolled in The George Washington University in 1925 and earned BS degrees in both electrical engineering (1930) and mechanical engineering (1934). In addition to his formal education, he has studied engineering management extensively. His illustrious and diverse career started with the Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO) in 1932 and took him to the National Bureau of Standards and the United States Army. He even taught a few engineering classes at GW before being called to active duty during World War II.

Mr. Ellenberger served both at home and abroad as an officer in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. During the Korean War, he served the Army General Staff as a research and development facilities officer. In 1954, he began a 14-year-long career with the Department of the Army Civilian Service, where he served as construction management engineer with the offices of the Chief of Research and Development, Chief Chemical Officer, and Director of Installations, where he was responsible for developing the annual Army Military Construction Program and Budget.

Mr. Ellenberger is now retired from his self-employed status as an engineer consultant, a position that he assumed in 1968. His interests include industrial archaeology and the history of engineering. Mr. Ellenberger became a life member of the GW Alumni Association in 1931 and helped organize the Engineer Alumni Association in 1936. His contributions to the GWAA and EAA are too numerous to list here. Over the years, Mr. Ellenberger has served in many positions of leadership in both organizations and has contributed an enormous amount of time in voluntary service to the University. Mr. Ellenberger received the Alumni Service Award from the GW Alumni Association in 1965.

In addition to his career and GW activities, Mr. Ellenberger is: a Mason; a life senior member of IEEE, serving as chair of the Washington section in 1954-55; a life member of AMSE; and very active in the Washington Society of Engineers, serving as the president in 1969. During his 81 years of affiliation with SEAS, Mr. Ellenberger has compiled an extremely interesting and very valuable record of his experiences as well as a historical record of the evolution of the engineering school. In him, the School has perhaps its best - and perhaps its only - historian; he has never stopped learning nor writing. Copies of many of his papers and recollections were given to the University Archives in 2004.

 

MARK V. HUGHES, III

BA '69, Physics
MS '77, Computer Science
President (Retired)
System & Network Solutions Group
Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)
Potomac, Maryland

MARK HUGHES earned a BS in physics and MS in computer science from The George Washington University. He later completed the Harvard program for senior executives in national and international security and the Stanford University Program in Mergers and Acquisitions. Mr. Hughes is currently president and chairman of the board of directors of the Elsie and Marvin Dekelboum Family Foundation. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of The George Washington University, serving on the Executive Committee, Finance and Audit Committee, Academic Affairs Committee, and Advancement and Alumni Affairs Committee, and is chairman of the GW Virginia Campuses Committee. He also serves on the National Advisory Council for the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Mr. Hughes retired as President, System and Network Solutions Group of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in February 2006. The System and Network Solutions Group performs much of the systems development and systems integration work within SAIC, concentrating on the development of federal telecommunications, command and control systems, criminal justice information systems, physical security, and information security. During Mr. Hughes' fourteen-year leadership of this Group, annual revenues grew from $84 million to more than $1.6 billion. While at SAIC, Mr. Hughes served as a member of several corporate boards, including: Telcordia, a telecommunications software company with revenues of over $1.3 billion; AMSEC LLC, a joint venture of SAIC and Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipbuilding, with annual revenues of $500 million; Data Systems & Solutions, a joint venture of SAIC and Rolls-Royce; and Ultra-Scan, a company providing ultrasound fingerprint scanners.

Prior to joining SAIC in August of 1990, Mr. Hughes served as senior vice president of Planning Research Corporation's (now Northrup Grumman IT) Information Systems Group and general manager of two of its three divisions: the Defense and Space Systems Division and the Systems Support Division. Joining PRC in 1971, Mr. Hughes also held the positions of division vice president, department manager, project manager, computer systems scientist, systems architect, and programmer. He is a past member of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) Board of Governors. He was also chairman of the Government Electronics and Information Technology Association (GEIA); is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Security Affairs Support Association (SASA); and is a member of Sigma Pi Sigma, the national physics honor society. Mr. Hughes is a Senior Member of IEEE, and he serves as the Chief Judge for the Fleming Awards, awarded annually to outstanding federal employees. Mr. Hughes received the Alumni Service Award in 2001 and the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award in 2003 from the GW Alumni Association.

 

PATRICK J. MARTIN

MS '65, Mathematics
DSc '71, Electrical Engineering
Chairman, President, and CEO (Retired)
StorageTek
Edwards, CO

PAT MARTIN earned an MS in mathematics and D.Sc. in electrical engineering from The George Washington University after receiving his BS in mathematics from Iona College. He also earned a P.M.D. from Harvard University's executive education program. Dr. Martin served as chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Storage Technology Corporation-a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of tape drives and automated cartridge libraries, disk arrays, and network management and backup software-from July 2000 to September 2005. He guided StorageTek to consistent profitability during the worst technology dry spell in history and revived industry respect for the company using new business controls. His leadership helped position StorageTek for its acquisition by SunMicrosystems in September 2005 for $4.1 billion.

Dr. Martin joined StorageTek after 23 years with Xerox Corporation, where he was a corporate senior vice president. His last position at Xerox was president of the North American Solutions Group, Xerox's largest marketing operation, with responsibility for $8 billion in annual revenue. Prior to that, he led various global efforts at Xerox, including leading the copier duplicator division, Xerox's largest business division, as well as opening emerging markets around the world. During the course of his career at Xerox, Dr. Martin served as president of the following divisions: developing markets operations, Canadian & Americas operations, and office document products.

Dr. Martin's early career included positions with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, NCS Computing Corporation, Informatics, and Research Analysis Corporation. Dr. Martin currently serves on the Board of Directors at Qwest and on the Dean's Advisory Council for the Fisher School of Business at Ohio State University. He was an adjunct faculty member at SEAS during the 1970s, and he previously served on the Board of Trustees and National Advisory Council for the School of Engineering and Applied Science at The George Washington University, and as a director with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S./China Business Council, and Vermont Public Utilities. Dr. Martin received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from the GW Alumni Association in 1997. Dr. Martin received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2003 and has been recognized as one of "100 Significant Irish Americans." He was also recognized as the Colorado Business CEO/Man of the Year for 2005.

 

NICHOLAS G. PALEOLOGOS

BS '69, Civil Engineering
President
Miller & Long Co. Inc.
Potomac, Maryland

NICK PALEOLOGOS began working at Miller & Long Construction Company in 1963 while he was civil engineering student at The George Washington University. He earned his BS degree in 1969 and worked his way up through the ranks of the company. Today as a partner and president in charge of operations, he is responsible for more than 3,000 employees and their related support systems.

The Miller & Long Companies were established in 1947. Miller & Long Construction is the largest concrete construction company in the Washington, D.C., area and the second largest in the country. Under Mr. Paleologos' leadership, Miller & Long and its affiliates have built millions of dollars worth of commercial and residential structures in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, earning an enviable reputation of excellent service and fair and honest dealings with its clients. Mr. Paleologos has been a dedicated member of the National Advisory Council for the School of Engineering and Applied Science at GW since the group was founded. In that capacity, he has been a tireless advocate for the School. Mr. Paleologos is a past director of the Associated Builders and Contractors. He is a member of the Washington Building Congress, the American Concrete Institute, and a past member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the GW Cancer Center Advisory Board. He is also a member of the Presidents Club for the University of Maryland. Mr. Paleologos received the Engineer Alumni Achievement Award from the Engineer Alumni Association in 1988.

 

SPENCER S. PRENTISS*

*Deceased
BS '28, Chemistry
Associate Director, Patent Division (Retired)
Phillips Petroleum Company
Bartlesville, Oklahoma

SPENCER PRENTISS spent his formative years in the nation's capital, which his ancestors had helped to settle. He followed his father and grandfather in attending The George Washington University from 1924-1928 on a scholarship and earned his BS degree with distinction from the School of Engineering.

At GW, he also taught freshman chemistry for two years and was, by his own admission, the worst shot on the best rifle team in the country. He served as the engineering senior class Secretary and was active in the Chemical Society and Alpha Chi Sigma chemical fraternity. After graduation, he pursued graduate studies on scholarship at MIT, earning the Ph.D. in 1931 in physical chemistry, writing his doctoral dissertation on the freezing points of electrolytes. After earning his doctorate, Dr. Prentiss worked on the MIT post-doctoral research staff from 1931-1934. He subsequently worked for the Linde Co. (Union Carbide) in Buffalo, N.Y., and for the DuPont Company in Buffalo, N.Y., and Wilmington, Del. In 1942, Dr. Prentiss joined the staff of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, doing research and patent liaison on a wide-range of wartime uses of oxygen. In 1946 he moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, initially as associate director for patent liaison in the research division of Phillips Petroleum Company, and from about 1955 worked in the Phillips patent division.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Prentiss received fourteen U.S. patents, published several papers in scientific journals, and co-authored the Office of Scientific Research and Development summary on the preparation and uses of oxygen during WWII. He retired from Phillips in May 1969, but remained a member of the American Chemical Society and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr. Prentiss also had a passion for orchestra and chamber music. In college, he played cello in the GW string quartet and orchestra. In 1957, he was one of the original members of the Phillips Symphony, the predecessor of the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra. He served as principal cellist of the BSO until 2002, and continued to play in the orchestra into 2005. He also sang bass in several choirs. His musical interests extended to the collection, study, and repair of musical instruments, especially old string instruments; his collection contained instruments that dated to the 17th Century. Most importantly, his musical interests introduced him to a wide circle of friends in Bartlesville, as well as on his many travels.

Dr. Prentiss was a friend to many, including GW. Throughout the years, he enjoyed receiving visitors from his alma mater and was known to treat them to private concerts. Dr. Prentiss died in Bartlesville on November 30, 2005 and was buried two weeks later in Washington, D.C., on what would have been his 100th birthday.

 

MARJORIE RHODES TOWNSEND

BS '51, Electrical Engineering
Vice President (Retired)
Space Systems Development for Space America, NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center Washington, D.C.

MARJORIE RHODES TOWNSEND earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from GW in 1951, making her the first female to receive an engineering degree from the University. Six years earlier, in the fall of 1945, she had entered SEAS as Marjorie Rhodes, a girl from the Washington, D.C., area who was not yet 16 years old. She had skipped a few grades and finished high school early, and found herself choosing her next path in life as a very young person. Having a father who was a mechanical engineer, as well as talent in math and science, pointed her toward engineering school. Mrs. Townsend studied full-time in her first three years at SEAS. During that time, she and Charles Townsend, a GW medical student, were introduced by one of Charles's fraternity brothers, who was also an engineering student. Rhodes and Townsend subsequently married in 1948, and she began working and going to school part-time in order to support her husband while he finished medical school. In 1951, they graduated together. Three months prior to graduation, Mrs. Townsend began working in a career that spanned 45 years, while raising a family of four sons.

Her career started at the Naval Research Laboratory, where she worked for eight years doing sonar research. She moved to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in 1959 and spent the bulk of her career there. At Goddard, Mrs. Townsend became known for her project management skills. Among the projects she managed were three satellite launches for NASA off the coast of Kenya. The spacecraft were NASA projects, but the launch services were provided by the Italian government. These were the first launches to be completed for the U.S. by a foreign government and the first to be launched outside of the continental United States. These projects were particularly challenging and fulfilling, because Mrs. Townsend was able to serve as her own systems engineer. She moved to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in 1959 and spent the bulk of her career there. At Goddard, Mrs. Townsend became known for her project management skills. Among the projects she managed were three satellite launches for NASA off the coast of Kenya. The spacecraft were NASA projects, but the launch services were provided by the Italian government. These were the first launches to be completed for the U.S. by a foreign government and the first to be launched outside of the continental United States. These projects were particularly challenging and fulfilling, because Mrs. Townsend was able to serve as her own systems engineer.

Mrs. Townsend's career included working for private companies and providing consulting services after her retirement from NASA and her position as vice president for space systems development for Space America. Over the course of her career, she was awarded a patent for a digital telemetry system; she received numerous professional awards and has been active in many professional and civic organizations, including the Engineer Alumni Association at GW; she maintains a long list of publications; and she is included in a nearly equally long list of "Who's Who" and other biographical listings. Mrs. Townsend received the Engineer Alumni Achievement Award from the Engineer Alumni Association in 1975 and the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from the GW Alumni Association in 1976.

 

DAVID I.J. WANG

BS '51, Mechanical Engineering
Executive Vice President (Retired)
International Paper Co.
Naples, Florida

DAVID WANG, a native of Beijing, China, spent his childhood years in Southwest China. He emigrated with his family after World War II to the U.S., where he received a BS in mechanical engineering from The George Washington University and an MS in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Mr. Wang retired in 1991 as executive vice president and director of International Paper Co. (IP), where he was responsible for a diverse group of IP's businesses (including distribution, timber, wood products, and specialty business) totaling $6 billion in sales. He was also responsible for corporate engineering and technology, information systems, logistics, and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining IP in 1978, he worked with Union Carbide Corp. in various capacities, including director of corporate development and vice president - general manager, coatings and solvents division.

Currently, Mr. Wang is an operating partner in Atlas Holdings, a private equity investment firm that owns and operates various industrial companies. He is a trustee of the RFK Memorial Center; Eisenhower Fellowships; Southern Poverty Law Center; and the Naples Philharmonic Center. He has been a long-time member of the National Advisory Council of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at GW and also serves on the advisory board of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. In the past, he has served as director of Weirton Steel Co., UGI Corp., Amerigas Inc., Joy Technologies Inc., and BE&K Inc. Mr. Wang received the Engineer Alumni Achievement Award from the Engineer Alumni Association in 1992 and the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from the GW Alumni Association in 2000.