“One of the best engineers I ever worked with, and a great boss.” “He was kind to everyone, not just the analysts, but everyone, even the admins, bringing him something to sign.” “I will always remember his infectious laugh and absolute zest for life.”
Those are just a few of the many accolades we received about Wes after his death. He truly loved being an engineer during his 42-year career. Wes grew up in Minnesota and South Dakota and graduated from the University of Minnesota with his aeronautical engineering degree. Following the aerospace boom and the idea of no snow and ice, he made his way to San Diego, where he worked in various engineering firms while also pursuing two graduate degrees in Aerospace Engineering from San Diego State University and Engineering Management from UCLA. After his formal retirement, he was excited to return as a consultant, simply so he could do engineering work on his favorite projects without being bogged down with administrative duties.
Over those 42 years, he worked on many projects. We were not aware of the significance of some, either because they were classified or he was just humble. One remarkable undertaking occurred after the crash of the Challenger. Wes was chosen to be part of the team tasked with determining the cause of the accident, which was later discovered to be a problem with the rocket booster. He spent years working on Tomahawk missiles and the potential of the Advanced Cruise Missile. He and a group of work friends created their own company, where they researched things like the potential for reusable rockets. Wes’s favorite project was the Global Hawk (or as we teasingly called it, the Beluga Whale, because of the resemblance of its nose and coloring to that of the animal) and some of the amazing things it could accomplish as an unmanned aerial spy plane.
Wes was adventurous, enjoying activities such as snow skiing, water skiing, river rafting, and traveling to new places. He was especially interested in more intrepid travel, such as being one of the first tourists to places like China and Cuba, and observing the transition of former Communist countries. In addition to the major sights, he liked to explore places off the beaten path in order to better appreciate the local culture. He shared that love of travel with his wife, Marilyn, and later their daughter Kelly. He was also fond of Disneyland, always requiring a ride on Indiana Jones and CA Screamin’ (or Incredicoaster, however you may know it). It’s probably an engineer thing to love those attractions.
Kelly swears that Wes told her once that he became an aerospace engineer because he couldn’t be an astronaut. Whether that is the truth or a family legend, he’ll be able to experience space in a way only his rockets have. Unfortunately, his beloved Corvette won’t get to join him on this journey.
