[TenTec] Milt Sullivan, K8YDO SK RL Drake Chief Engineer

[Jim Brown]

//This was in today's ARRL Letter.

Milton A. Sullivan Jr, ex-K8YDO, Former Chief Engineer at R. L. Drake 
(SK)Milton A. "Buddy" Sullivan Jr, ex-K8YDO, of Washington, DC -- the 
former chief engineer at the R. L. Drake Company 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._L._Drake_Company> -- passed away from a 
stroke on October 28. He was 85. Sullivan designed and oversaw the 
designs of all the most significant Drake Amateur Radio products, 
including the 1A, 2B and 2NT transmitter, all the 4 lines and the 
beginning of the 7 line. After retiring from Drake in 1984, Sullivan ran 
his own business selling and setting up satellite television systems, an 
offshoot of his later projects at Drake that involved designing 
satellite equipment. After that, he went back to work full time as chief 
engineer for Lytton Electronics, where he worked until his final 
retirement in 1990. In 1993, he and his wife Judith moved to South 
Carolina where Sullivan worked for Alpha Delta, the small company owned 
by his former Drake colleague and long time friend, Don Tyrrell, W8AD. 
Sullivan donated his body to science. A US Navy veteran, he will be 
interred at Arlington National Cemetery after a term with the Georgetown 
University Medical School. -- /Thanks to John Sullivan and Don Tyrrell, 
W8AD, for the information/

=   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =

I worked for Milt at R.L. Drake as a co-op EE student from Univ of 
Cincinnati, and was working at a bench in the engineering lab when news 
came over the radio that President Kennedy had been shot.

One correction/addition to the obit.  In addition to designing the 
products noted, Milt also designed the TR3, Drake's first transceiver, 
and the beginning of their line of transmitting products.  Bob Drake 
established and ran the quality company, but Milt was the chief engineer.

Both were nice guys, and Milt was a fair boss.  I never kept track of 
him after leaving Drake, and wondered what he had done with the rest of 
his life.  From the obit, quite a lot. RIP, Milt.

73, Jim K9YC