James C. Wiltse, Jr

JAMES CORNELIUS WILTSE James Wiltse was born March 16, 1926 in Tannersville, New York to James and Leah Wiltse. He graduated from Hunter-Tannersville Central School and received Bachelors and Master's degrees in Electrical Enginnering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In 1959, he received a PhD degree from Johns Hopkins University in Electrical Engineering. He was commissioned as an ensign in the US Navy and after serving on active duty, he was in the active Reserves from which he retired as a Lieutenant Commander (Commander select). Dr. Wiltse was Director of Advanced Technology for Electronic Communications, Inc. (now E-Systems, a division of Raytheon Corporation). Then, Dr. Wiltse spent 14 years with Martin Marietta Corporation in Orlando, FL, where he held the positions of Director of Research and Technology, Director of Electrical Engineering, and Director of Research and Engineering Operations during his tenure. In 1978, he went to the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech Research Institute, where he served as Associate Director. He was also an Adjunct Professor in their School of Electrical Engineering. He was the advisor for several masters' and PhD level students and initiated and taught several continuing education classes. Dr. Wiltse has several decades of experience in electronics research and engineering, and is the author or co-author of 160 articles, reports, and presentations at many national and international scientific conferences and technical symposia. These publications and technical papers are in the areas of antennas, radar, guidance, and countermeasures with applications relating to satellite communications. He was the principal investigator on the NASA Applications Technology Satellite program at higher than ordinary frequencies. He was the task leader on the ATS-4 satellite. The ATS-4 was launched to evaluate gravity-gradient stabilization and new imaging techniques for meteorological data retrieval. Dr. Wiltse has served as a member of various Department of Defense Advisory Committees and a peer reviewer for proposals to the National Science Foundation and the Army Research Office. He served as the General Chairman of the First National Radar Conference. He has been selected as a Fellow of the IEEE and SPIE professional organizations. His name appears on the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum's Wall of Honor. Before moving to Lanier Village Estates in Gainesville, GA. He lived for several years in Orlando FL, Tucker, Chamblee, Lawrenceville, Spartanburg, SC, and Big Canoe. He moved to LVE in 2013. Mr. Wiltse, age 91, passed away on Friday, September 22, 2017. He is survived by his wife, Helen, a son, Paul (wife, Sue), a daughter, Linda (husband, Eric King), and step-son, David Citron (wife, Krista) and twin granddaughters, Vasilka and Katya; brother, Oscar (wife, Pat); sister, Shirley Dunn (husband, Gerry); and numerous nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at Lanier Village Estates in November. Interment will be in Hanes Falls, NY.