The History of InfoAge Science & History Museums

Interviewee: IRVING BAUMAN

Interviewer: Michael Ruane
Date: 1998?
Place: Camp Evans – 9039
Media: NTSC Video
Summary: Mr. Irv Bauman

TAPE 17A

IRVING BAUMAN, PHOTO EQUIP’T DEVELOPMENT

This appeared to be a continuation of Tape 15. He was asked if he enjoyed working at Evans, and replied that he certainly did so. He very rarely took his coffee break and loved working in Bldg. 38C . He worked in an air conditioned offce which was conveniently adjacent to the Auditorium, where he presented his IPR (In Process Review) briefings. For these briefings, he prepared Development Procurement Packages for participants at the IPR.

He lauded the role of the Project Engineer, who dealt with many of the lab elements to include Maintenance Planning, Shops, Production Engineering, Product Improvement Board, Spare Parts Provisioning, Equipment Evaluation, Publications Agency, TECOM, and Signal Photographic School. A Project Engineer got to meet and know many people in related functional activities.

He was involved in four production systems, including Laboratory Darkroom AN/TFQ-7, Mobile Photographic Equipments ES-38, ES-82A, and ES-22, and all of the installed processing components installed therein. He worked at Evans from 1963 – 1976 and really enjoyed dealing with Advanced Development and Production Phases of Systems Development.

Irving graduated from college as a chemist before World War II. After discharge from his WWII experience, he returned to Graduate School to study Chem. Engrg., attending school nights, while working days. He graduated from Newark College of Engineering in 1954, attending commencement one evening, and two days later, was blessed with a new son, after having had a daughter earlier, a fulfilling week, indeed.

He was asked what counsel he could offer to high school students. He offered the following: pay attention in class to teacher’s lectures, find a way to study, concentrating and away from family distraction, take every opportunity to speak before a group, to express yourself to respond to teacher’s questions, performing in class plays, and/or reporting on a research project. All of the preceding helps to prepare a young person with communication skills, a capability sought after by the employer’s personnel offices.
Irving then proceeded to refer to photographs of a number of developed equipment:
 1. Photographic Branch Personnel to include “chiefs & Indians”
2. Charles Whittenberg, Branch Founder; Bob Jackson, Sec. Chf.
3. Pine Camp, NY- Arctic Testing of Mobile Photo Lab, 1 month
4. Demonstration of a Snow Melter to Canadian Military
5. 16th Photographic Laboratory Personnel
6. B-29’s passing before Mt. Fujiyama en route to target Japan
7. Airstrip Camera Installation in A/C personnel w/display of aerial cameras
8. 20th Air Force Organization, 58 Bomb Wing -CBI Theatre; 73rd BW – Saipan; 314 & 315BW’s – Guam, Tinian, Mariannas Islands
9. Steven Levinos – Noted Photochemist
10. Darius L. CastelIini-Director, Photo-Optics Tech Area Joseph Mangiarcina – Director, Signal Corps Photo School Irving Bauman – Team Ldr. Photo Equip’t Development
11. Irving’s Portrait as a young man.
12. Seven (7) Camera System Developments
13. Technical Manuals for Mobile Labs; Reports on Rapid Photo Processing, Test Report on Desert Testing of a Mobile Lab, & Investigation of 16mm Motion Picture Processing Equipment, NEI (New Equipment Introduction Notice) for Mobile Photo Labs fielded.)
14. Brief Magazine (Pacific Ocean Area Publication 1 May ’45) Article on “Seeing Eye”
15. Tactical Imagery Interpretation Facility (TIIF) AN/TSQ-43 Artist Conception w/ Carl Orlando & Link Precision Inc. Project Manager, demonstrating computer, plotting tables & radio installed within an expansible shelter enclosure.
Eventually, with the advent of the MAGIC System, the computer was removed from the AN/TSQ-43, to provide a convenient workspace for photo interpreters, with the remaining functions taken over by MAGIC.

22 min.

TAPE 17B
An engineer appeared in his laboratory, illustrating and explaining functional components of a system, he called the “Dill Evaluation Certification Test Bed” meant to qualify a system intended for use for Task Force 21 soldiers. That system was meant to provide command and control data for the soldier. He referred to tests conducted at Fort Sill, Fort Hood, & Picatinny Arsenal and explained how his group certified systems under test. The speaker did not identify himself or his organization. It is suspected that his presentation was unrelated to the Evans area of work.

Page created August 2, 2002