Obituaries

Gary Graham 1947 - 2009Gary Graham of West Los Angeles passed away on August 17, 2009, from prostate cancer. Gary was born on June 17, 1947 at Ventura Community Hospital, Ventura, CA. Gary is survived by his wife Susan Baumgarten, father Gale Graham, sister Marilyn Graham, brothers James and Michael.He attended Briggs School and Santa Paula Union High School, then received a Bachelor of Arts in Physics at Pomona College, Claremont, CA in 1969. Under sponsorship of Hughes Aircraft Company’s fellowship program, he earned Masters, Engineer and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California.Gary grew up on the family lemon ranch, purchased by his great-great-grandfather Abner Haines, who transited Panama and arrived at gold rush country in 1853. His childhood included plenty of farm tasks, swimming in the pool his dad had made from Popular Mechanics guidelines, and many hours playing family baseball, football and ping pong on the back lawn.He often reflected upon the magical environment for learning & growth offered by Briggs Elementary School. He attended in a period where parent involvement, excellent teachers, 4-H discipline, music and lots of athletics all contributed to a generation of extraordinary achievement. Though he was an often-bored hyperactive student and perhaps not the best trumpet player in the Briggs Band, he became school president & salutatorian.At Santa Paula Union High School, he concentrated on math with legendary Angie Ornelas G and zoology with Joe Ricards, and became co-captain of the gymnastics team with Jeff Ricards. Four years of training increased his natural competitive spirit, and he reveled in doing a standing front flip or some other spur of the moment show-off stunt when he had the urge to impress.While growing up, Gary was inspired by his mother Ann’s parents, who both served as Ventura County Tax Collectors, her father Robert Cooney from 1931 to 1948, and her mother Margaret Cooney from 1948 to 1962. He enjoyed visiting Grandma Cooney at the courthouse, where she led a bustling organization of men and women.Although he considered technical colleges like Cal Tech or MIT, he opted for a more rounded liberal arts education. Even so, at Pomona College, a physics major didn’t allow much room for many competing interests. However, he did find refuge on Mt Baldy, where a couple of streams provided the solitude and inspiration that spurred a fledgling interest in poetry and creative writing.After joining Hughes Aircraft Company in 1969 (later merged with Raytheon Company), he helped design the dogfight modes for the F-14 Tomcat, was an original member of the B-2 stealth bomber radar design team, led a $400M advanced demonstration program, and co-managed the 4,000-member California engineering team. Retiring from Hughes/Raytheon in 2003, he continued his career for another 4 years as Deputy Director of the Tactical Technology Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Washington, DC. As a leader in all these activities, Dr Graham was known for his strong support of the entire team, encouraging each member to achieve beyond his/her highest expectations. During the past three months while Gary was at home in Hospice care, many colleagues visited or called to reminisce about the amazing accomplishments shared over the years.Gary met his wife Sue Baumgarten shortly after she came to work at Hughes as an engineer in 1973. They were married on August 20, 1977 and together they shared their commitment to work and love of life. They were each other’s biggest supporters inspiring their career successes, traveling the world together, sharing cooking, theater, concerts, and their nightly crossword puzzles. They found great joy in their nephews Lowen and Austin Baumgarten and later their niece Olina Graham.Gary will be remembered by all for his generosity, curious nature, intellect, and pursuit of fun. He was constantly and doggedly involved in one project after another. He made us all laugh and challenged us to think.