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IN LOVING MEMORY OF George F. Dalrymple
George F.
Dalrymple
Aug 28, 1930 — Aug 28, 2014
George F. Dalrymple's Obituary
Long time Bedford resident George Frank Dalrymple died on August 28, 2014, his 84th birthday, after a brief illness. He was born in Brenham, Texas on August 28, 1930 to F. Gladys (Frank) Dalrymple and George Browning Dalrymple. As the son of a minister/Army Chaplain, George lived in several communities during his early years before the family settled in Jewell, Kansas in 1943 where his parents called home for many years after. George graduated from Jewell High in 1947 at age 16 as part of a class of 12 with the class advisor being his mother who taught at the High School.
One of his High School projects was to raise chickens which he did very successfully and started his breakfast habits of two hard boiled eggs to start each day which he kept up until his heart attack in 1973 when he switched to a bowl of oatmeal every morning.
His love of trains began early as at age 5 he received his first train set that cost $1. In the next few years he began making model trains with completing two Strombecker locomotive kits before branching out and making trains from scratch. He continued to love to tinker and when in high school and needing an alarm clock, he used a timer from some surplus ordinance and other parts to make a clock radio in the 1940s. He had many projects going and his favorite chassis were the wooden boxes that Kraft macaroni came in.
He received his B.A degree from Philips University in Enid, OK in 1951. While at Philips, he was a telephone switchboard operator for a pipeline company to maintain safe conditions in the pipeline. Another college job was working the transmitter for KGWA in Enid, OK. This job spurred him to get his amateur radio license with call sigh W1HEF which he maintained up until his death. For many years that was the license plate on his car. He was an active ham radio operator until the early 1970s.
He attended Rice University in Houston Texas working as a graduate assistant in the Physics lab while working on his Masters degree in physics (low temperature physics) which was awarded in 1954. Upon graduation he was offered an unspecified job at Lincoln Laboratories in Lexington, MA. Upon arrival, they had three possible positions for him and the mutual selection was working as an electrical engineer on tasks for project Mercury and later the Apollo missions. While working with submillimeter radar and Doppler shifts which was planned to be used for communicating with space crafts, he had the "aha" moment where he realized he could measure wind speed and direction. The test was using a B-35 bomber flying low over the Bedford water tower to see how to eliminate ground clutter from the radar signals when he made the discovery. After several other experiments he sent the discovery off to the department that worked on weather and eventually Doppler weather radar came to fruition.
His work on the communication and tracking radar for Project Mercury took him on many trips as the radar was tested and deployed prior to the space flights. One of those trips was to Kodiak, Alaska where one of his trips coincided with the first retrieval of film from a satellite.
In 1968, his department at Lincoln Lab was severely reduced as the space program funding was drying up. He transferred to the mechanical engineering department's Sensory Aids Center at MIT. There he worked on projects to enable blind people to interface with computers, rehabilitation aids for children with cerebral palsy among other things. He also met Ricky Hoyt and worked to get Ricky where we could use a computer both input and output. He retired from MIT in 1986 after 32 years with MIT and its affiliates
On July 4, 1954, he met Margaret Castellon and they were married a year later on July 23, 1955. They moved to Bedford in 1958 and he lived in Bedford until 2011 when he needed to move to a handicapped accessible assisted living facility in Lincoln, MA. While in Bedford, George was very active in many things Bedford. It was rare for him to miss any Town Meeting or election. He was the Bedford Citizen of the Year in 1998. He served the town in many capacities: Sketch Plans – Fire Dept. Future Building Needs 1963-1964; Fire Station Addition Building Committee 1964-1965; Historic District Commission 1965-1971; Ad Hoc Charter Review Committee 1982-1983, 1989-1991, 1997-1998; Cable Television Committee 1992-2006; Council on Aging 1993-1998; Election Officer 1994-1995; School & Municipal Space Needs III 1998-2001. When the Public Access portion of Cable TV was spun off as Bedford Community Access Television (BCAT) he joined as a member of the board of directors. George was often a volunteer camera operator, audio technician or character generator operator for many public access shoots. He was also a meals on wheels volunteer.
George also began a life long affiliation with Bedford Community Santa Claus Program in 1962 where he was the checker coordinator from 1963-1992 and rarely missed a Gift Drop Day and the chance to wear his "Bah Humbug" stocking cap or sweatshirt. Even when confined to a wheelchair he was there on both Gift Drop Day and Christmas Eve. He also imbued many of his family members with the spirit as his children and grandchildren continue with the program.
Being the son of a minister, faith was an important part of George's life. He was a fifty year member of the First Church of Christ Congregational in Bedford and has held many volunteer positions including Deacon, Treasurer, Fall Fair volunteer, Financial Secretary and many more. He rarely missed being at Church even through his illness - when he wasn't in the hospital, rehab or hospice, he would be in Church.
George was an active in Masons and Royal Arch. He was a fifty year Mason and is a member of Jewell (KS) lodge 11 and Richard C. MacLaurin Lodge in Cambridge where he was a past master. He was a past High Priest of Royal Arch.
George was predeceased by his wife of 46 years Margaret C Dalrymple who died September 1, 2001. He is survived by four children, five grandchildren, four great grand children, one great great grandchild, a brother, a sister, and many nieces and nephews. Children are Donna J Dalrymple of Manchester NH, David S Dalrymple and his wife Jennifer C Dalrymple of Bedford MA, Douglas K Dalrymple and his partner Kim H Parker of Nashua NH, Debbie D Lydiard and her husband Alan M Lydiard of Durham NC. Grandchildren are Chris D Carpenter and his wife Heather of Ellicott City MD, Megan C DeShields and her husband Anthony DeShields of Pembroke Bermuda, Capt. Scott D Dalrymple and his wife Chesapeake W Dalrymple of Albuquerque NM, Amy L Dalrymple of Bedford MA and Stephen C Dalrymple of Brighton MA. He is also survived by a sister Ruth A Dalrymple of Golden CO and a brother Donald E. Dalrymple and his wife LeNell S Dalrymple of Trenton MO.
Burial was private with family on September 5, 2014 at Shawsheen Cemetery in Bedford MA. A Memorial Service is planned for 11:00 AM on Saturday November 22, 2014 at the First Church of Christ Congregational at 25 The Great Road in Bedford MA. Family and friends are invited to come to share and celebrate his life.
Memorial contributions can be made to The Dalrymple Family Fund at Citizens' Scholarship Foundation of Bedford, P.O. Box 585, Bedford, MA 01730 or to the First Church of Christ, Congregational Memorial Fund, 25 Great Rd., Bedford, MA 01730.
One of his High School projects was to raise chickens which he did very successfully and started his breakfast habits of two hard boiled eggs to start each day which he kept up until his heart attack in 1973 when he switched to a bowl of oatmeal every morning.
His love of trains began early as at age 5 he received his first train set that cost $1. In the next few years he began making model trains with completing two Strombecker locomotive kits before branching out and making trains from scratch. He continued to love to tinker and when in high school and needing an alarm clock, he used a timer from some surplus ordinance and other parts to make a clock radio in the 1940s. He had many projects going and his favorite chassis were the wooden boxes that Kraft macaroni came in.
He received his B.A degree from Philips University in Enid, OK in 1951. While at Philips, he was a telephone switchboard operator for a pipeline company to maintain safe conditions in the pipeline. Another college job was working the transmitter for KGWA in Enid, OK. This job spurred him to get his amateur radio license with call sigh W1HEF which he maintained up until his death. For many years that was the license plate on his car. He was an active ham radio operator until the early 1970s.
He attended Rice University in Houston Texas working as a graduate assistant in the Physics lab while working on his Masters degree in physics (low temperature physics) which was awarded in 1954. Upon graduation he was offered an unspecified job at Lincoln Laboratories in Lexington, MA. Upon arrival, they had three possible positions for him and the mutual selection was working as an electrical engineer on tasks for project Mercury and later the Apollo missions. While working with submillimeter radar and Doppler shifts which was planned to be used for communicating with space crafts, he had the "aha" moment where he realized he could measure wind speed and direction. The test was using a B-35 bomber flying low over the Bedford water tower to see how to eliminate ground clutter from the radar signals when he made the discovery. After several other experiments he sent the discovery off to the department that worked on weather and eventually Doppler weather radar came to fruition.
His work on the communication and tracking radar for Project Mercury took him on many trips as the radar was tested and deployed prior to the space flights. One of those trips was to Kodiak, Alaska where one of his trips coincided with the first retrieval of film from a satellite.
In 1968, his department at Lincoln Lab was severely reduced as the space program funding was drying up. He transferred to the mechanical engineering department's Sensory Aids Center at MIT. There he worked on projects to enable blind people to interface with computers, rehabilitation aids for children with cerebral palsy among other things. He also met Ricky Hoyt and worked to get Ricky where we could use a computer both input and output. He retired from MIT in 1986 after 32 years with MIT and its affiliates
On July 4, 1954, he met Margaret Castellon and they were married a year later on July 23, 1955. They moved to Bedford in 1958 and he lived in Bedford until 2011 when he needed to move to a handicapped accessible assisted living facility in Lincoln, MA. While in Bedford, George was very active in many things Bedford. It was rare for him to miss any Town Meeting or election. He was the Bedford Citizen of the Year in 1998. He served the town in many capacities: Sketch Plans – Fire Dept. Future Building Needs 1963-1964; Fire Station Addition Building Committee 1964-1965; Historic District Commission 1965-1971; Ad Hoc Charter Review Committee 1982-1983, 1989-1991, 1997-1998; Cable Television Committee 1992-2006; Council on Aging 1993-1998; Election Officer 1994-1995; School & Municipal Space Needs III 1998-2001. When the Public Access portion of Cable TV was spun off as Bedford Community Access Television (BCAT) he joined as a member of the board of directors. George was often a volunteer camera operator, audio technician or character generator operator for many public access shoots. He was also a meals on wheels volunteer.
George also began a life long affiliation with Bedford Community Santa Claus Program in 1962 where he was the checker coordinator from 1963-1992 and rarely missed a Gift Drop Day and the chance to wear his "Bah Humbug" stocking cap or sweatshirt. Even when confined to a wheelchair he was there on both Gift Drop Day and Christmas Eve. He also imbued many of his family members with the spirit as his children and grandchildren continue with the program.
Being the son of a minister, faith was an important part of George's life. He was a fifty year member of the First Church of Christ Congregational in Bedford and has held many volunteer positions including Deacon, Treasurer, Fall Fair volunteer, Financial Secretary and many more. He rarely missed being at Church even through his illness - when he wasn't in the hospital, rehab or hospice, he would be in Church.
George was an active in Masons and Royal Arch. He was a fifty year Mason and is a member of Jewell (KS) lodge 11 and Richard C. MacLaurin Lodge in Cambridge where he was a past master. He was a past High Priest of Royal Arch.
George was predeceased by his wife of 46 years Margaret C Dalrymple who died September 1, 2001. He is survived by four children, five grandchildren, four great grand children, one great great grandchild, a brother, a sister, and many nieces and nephews. Children are Donna J Dalrymple of Manchester NH, David S Dalrymple and his wife Jennifer C Dalrymple of Bedford MA, Douglas K Dalrymple and his partner Kim H Parker of Nashua NH, Debbie D Lydiard and her husband Alan M Lydiard of Durham NC. Grandchildren are Chris D Carpenter and his wife Heather of Ellicott City MD, Megan C DeShields and her husband Anthony DeShields of Pembroke Bermuda, Capt. Scott D Dalrymple and his wife Chesapeake W Dalrymple of Albuquerque NM, Amy L Dalrymple of Bedford MA and Stephen C Dalrymple of Brighton MA. He is also survived by a sister Ruth A Dalrymple of Golden CO and a brother Donald E. Dalrymple and his wife LeNell S Dalrymple of Trenton MO.
Burial was private with family on September 5, 2014 at Shawsheen Cemetery in Bedford MA. A Memorial Service is planned for 11:00 AM on Saturday November 22, 2014 at the First Church of Christ Congregational at 25 The Great Road in Bedford MA. Family and friends are invited to come to share and celebrate his life.
Memorial contributions can be made to The Dalrymple Family Fund at Citizens' Scholarship Foundation of Bedford, P.O. Box 585, Bedford, MA 01730 or to the First Church of Christ, Congregational Memorial Fund, 25 Great Rd., Bedford, MA 01730.
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