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His Life

Obituary For Jack Morris Maughmer

August 27, 2014

After a six-month complication and an attempt to win the battle, Jack Morris Maughmer, age 88, passed away on Saturday, July 19, 2014, in San Diego.

Jack was born in January 1926, in Spokane, Wash. to Morris and Theresa (O'Connor) Maughmer. They moved to San Luis Obispo in 1929. He attended Hawthorne Elementary School, San Luis Junior High, San Luis High School, and San Luis Junior College.

During World War II Jack joined the U.S.Army Air Corps. At the end of the war he attended San Jose State College and then transferred to the University of California at Berkeley, where he earned his B.S. degree in 1949 and M.S in 1954, followed by his Ph.D in 1957, all in Electrical Engineering. He played on the Berkeley golf team and competed in the Master Chess Games.

Jack started his career with International Business Machines, then General Electric, and on to General Dynamics, Convair, where he worked until his retirement. He was the Senior Engineering Staff Specialist for General Dynamics in San Diego. He directed the first funded Air Force Contract Study on how to land on the moon (1958-1960), which led to The Apollo Mission. In 1974 he directed a study of the guidance system for the submarine launched missile named Tomahawk.

After retirement, being a voracious reader and a need-to-know attitude he continued his study, calculations, and interest in space programs and the search for understanding our universe.

While working for IBM, Jack met Letty Joan Majors in Berkeley, where they were married on October 4, 1953. Pamela Ann, their daughter, was born in La Jolla in December 1959, while their son, Jeffrey Theron, was born in San Diego in October 1962.

Family members that Jack leaves behind are daughter Pamela Ann Maughmer of Bonner's Ferry, Idaho, son Jeffrey Theron Maughmer of San Diego; sister Jean Morris (Don) of Pismo Beach; brothers Terry Maughmer (Crystal), Steven Maughmer (Lisa) of Paso Robles; nieces Karen Morris Belick (Stephen) of Soquel, Sharon Morris Donovan (John) of Templeton, Patricia Maughmer of Oxnard, Susan Maughmer-Tuttle of Santa Maria; nephew Cliff Morris of Hawaii; and several other nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death two months earlier by his brother Robert W. Maughmer of Oxnard and by his wife, Letty, in 2007. Arrangements, to be announced later, are through The Neptune Society of San Diego.

   Written by Jean Morris
   Published in San Luis Obispo Tribune on July 27, 2014