Ramo, Simon

Ramo, Simon

(1913– ) engineer, aerospace executive; born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He developed microwave technology at General Electric and made Hughes Aircraft a major defense contractor before cofounding the Los Angeles-based Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation (later TRW) and Bunker Ramo. As chief scientist of the U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile program (1954–58) he helped to develop the Atlas, Titan, and Minuteman missiles. Retired in 1978, he won the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1983).