Last man standing!! More history
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All,

After a 4 year search, I have uncovered Steve Blasing! He is the only Technician on the Farnsworth team other than Gene Meeks to be deeply involved with the actual work over a substantial period (1960-1968).

Steve was a temporary technican on loan, as needed, to the Farnsworth team from the Aerospace Optics division. His specialty was instrumentation and measurement. During the time frame 1960 to 1965 he became ever more involved with the effort, until in 1965 he was appointed permenantly to the team and directly to Bob Hirsch as his Tech. By this time Gene had his own station and was virtually a co-researcher.

Man.... what a 1.5 hour interview!

This guy is still sharp as a tack! We had a lot of stuff to chat about and he supplied me with a new revelation while I floored him with the "secret" to which he was never privey. I got much more than I gave. He knew dates to the month level and just gushed info. at the human and scientific level.

He supplied a definitive the time frame for the first use and source of tritium in the ITT work. Its use pre-dated Hirsch's arrival is 1964 by about 8 months. So, Phil did recognize and suggest its use with deuterium and not Bob Hirsch.

I thought the last man standing in Fort Wayne on the team was Hirsch! Not so... By mid 1968, Geroge Bain, Jim Heine, and Gene Meeks had left to join the ill fated and still-born PTFA, (Philo T Farnsworth Associates), in Utah!

Hirsch was left to write a few reports, clean out the labs, and redistribute the equipment to other departments at Pontiac Street prior to his leaving for his new AEC position. Fred Haak had long been reassigned to the tube coatings division of the operation in Fort Wayne. All this time, Steve Blasing who, by now, was Hirsch's full time assistant, was still occupying the offices. Hirsch departs for the AEC and Steve is left sitting in the abandoned fusion research offices, reporting each day to an effort within ITT that was no longer.

He did this for 6 weeks!!! He was worried he would be dismissed having worked at ITT for 18 years since 1950!!
His old job at the Aerospace optics division was now back open. He went to the Admiral (Fritz Furth) one day when he was in town and shared his fears. The Admiral, (always a good guy), sent him to administration to be reassigend to his old job where he worked until he retired in 1985!! (35 years!)

Furth did not fare as well. He was given the corporate Axe summarily one day in real late 1968 as a reward for his tireless effort to nuture fusion research within the company. ITT was looking for scapegoats.

The 6 phases associated with projects.

Enthusiasm
Disillusionment
Panic
Search for the guilty
Punishment of the innocent
Rewards and praise for the non-participants.

More later on Steve's revelation.....

Richard Hull


Created on Tuesday, May 15, 2001 1:20 AM EDT by Richard Hull