Ralph Kenyon Kilbon (1916-1977) received a B. A. in English from Wesleyan University in 1938. From 1938 to 1950, he worked as a journalist and editor for the New York Herald Tribune.

In 1953, Kilbon joined RCA as a staff writer in the Department of Information at RCA headquarters in New York. He was transferred to RCA Laboratories in Princeton to handle public relations the following year.

By 1956, Kilbon had begun work on a history of RCA research, eventually titled Pioneering in Electronics. He completed the first draft in October 1957, starting a lengthy period of feedback and revision. On August 31, 1959, RCA signed a publishing contract with the McGraw-Hill Book Company. However, RCA legal staff refused to give approval for publication and the project was put on hold in December.

Kilbon returned to New York as Manager, RCA Editorial and Publication Services in 1963. Soon after, RCA’s legal staff withdrew their objections to publishing the manuscript. Kilbon completed an updated draft in August 1964, which was revised into the final draft in August 1965. Given legal approval in October and submitted to McGraw-Hill in November, it seemed to be about to be published.

On November 30, 1965, McGraw-Hill sent Kilbon a review by an anonymous electronics engineer that recommended substantial changes. The reviewer echoed criticisms made by RCA staff that the manuscript portrayed RCA as always making the right decisions. Kilbon was unable or unwilling to make the changes required and the project appears to have been abandoned at this point.

Kilbon became to Director, Editorial Services in 1971, was promoted to Staff Vice-President the next year, and retired in January 1975.