Abstract
Paul J. Ganahl (1916-2002) was an electrical engineer who served in the United States Air Force. This item is a manuscript diary kept by Ganahal between January 2, 1953, and December 31, 1953, while working as an electrical engineer performing aerial photography tests for the United States Air Force in California and New Mexico. The daily entries are bullet lists of film rolls develped, problems found, people met with or spoken to, flight test details, and places traveled. The diary provides technical information about the develpment of reconnaissance photography, engineering challenges, and project team communication.
Dates
- Creation: 1953
Creator
- Ganahl, Paul J., 1916-2002 (Person)
Extent
1 volume(s)
Biographical Note
Paul J. Ganahl (1916-2002) was an electrical engineer who served in the United States Air Force. Ganahl was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Myra Lynch Ganahl (1888–1965) and Alphonse Ernest Ganahl (1887–1972). The family moved to Corona, California, where Ganahl attended high school.
In 1944, Ganahl married Jeanne Elizabeth Bradley (1921-1997), after which the couple lived in Eglin Field, Florida, while Paul was stationed there. Jeanne Ganahl received her Bachelor of Arts from Dominican College and her Master of Arts from the University of California at Berkeley. After Paul Ganahl returned from his service as a Lieutenant in the Army Air Forces during World War II, he earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from Standford University in 1948.
From 1949 to 1952, Ganahl worked as a professor of electrical engineering at Santa Clara University. In 1953, he became an electrical engineer with the United States Air Force, developing improved aerial reconnaissance photographic technology.
Scope and Contents
This item is a manuscript diary Ganahal kept between January 2, 1953, and December 31, 1953, while working as an electrical engineer performing aerial photography tests for the United States Air Force in California and New Mexico. He was part of the Facility and Test Engineering Division (F.T.E.D.), and split his time between Edwards Air Force Base in California and Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. Ganahl worked with still and motion picture cameras, both 16mm and 35mm Eyemo brand cameras. The diary mentions looking into other brands. Aircraft tested for the use of the reconnaissance cameras include the F-94 Sparfire, the T-29 Flying Classroom, and the EF-94C Photo Reconnaissance Starfire. The daily entries are bullet lists of film rolls developed, problems found, people met with or spoken to, flight test details, and places traveled. The diary provides technical information about the development of reconnaissance photography, engineering challenges, and project team communication.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Language of Materials
English
Subjects
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- Paul J. Ganahl diary
- Author:
- Laurie Sather
- Date:
- 2022
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
