by Patrick D.
My family lived on Screenland Drive in
Burbank, a short distance from Lockheed. As a young boy in the early 1950s,
after school each afternoon, I sold newspapers at the B-6 plant, Skunk
Works and other nearby Lockheed entry and access gates. I remember very well
selling newspapers to Herman "Fish" Salmon and Tony LeVier, famous
Lockheed test pilots. What a thrill!
Little did I know then as a ten-year-old-boy
that I would actually work for Lockheed, beginning in 1964, in the scientific
computer services department. It was a great experience to be a part of a new
and exciting technology, one which changed dramatically, virtually on a month-to-month
basis. Each of us who were computer operators was routinely learning to run new
and ever-changing computer systems and increasingly smaller and more complex
equipment. Our department operated on a 24/7, 365-day calendar. It was a great
time to work at Lockheed.
In due time, my principle assignment was to
operate the new CAD-orthographic equipment in conjunction with the other tape
deck and disk-pack systems. And, what was particularly interesting, it was not
uncommon to find myself working on certain projects in association with the
engineers and personnel at Skunk Works.
So, it is with a good deal of fondness that I
relate my personal experiences at Lockheed, both as a young boy and, for ten
years, as an employee (from 1964 to 1974).
