Dr. Allen E. Puckett, the pioneering aerospace engineer who once led Hughes Aircraft Company, died March 31 at his home in Pacific Palisades, where he had been a resident for 39 years. He was surrounded by loving family. He was 94.
Allen Puckett was born on July 25, 1919 in Springfield, Ohio to Roswell C. and Catharine C. Puckett. He entered Harvard in 1935 at the age of 16. In the summer between his freshman and sophomore years he worked as a ranch hand at his cousin’s ranch in Montana, an experience he credited with changing his life, and fostering a life-long love of the outdoors and horsemanship. In 1939 he earned his Bachelor of Science, graduating Summa Cum Laude, and in 1941 he earned his master’s degree. In the same year, he moved to California to pursue advanced graduate studies at California Institute of Technology, (CalTech) under his mentor, Dr. Theodore von Karman.
While working at the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at CalTech (GALCIT), Puckett helped design a new type of wind tunnel for testing supersonic aerodynamics. Later, he performed the calculations which led to the development of the “delta wing” design common in supersonic aircraft today. When not working on his own research, he served as a consultant to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, and taught classes in math and aeronautics. In 1949, he co-wrote a textbook “Introduction to Aerodynamics of a Compressible Fluid” with Hans Liepmann, also of CalTech.
Puckett had earned a commission as a reserve officer in the U.S. Army Air Corp (the predecessor of today’s U.S. Air Force) through the Reserve Officer Training Corp at Harvard, and when the U.S. entered World War II, he received orders to report to Lackland Army Base in Texas for further flight training. Before he could leave, however, he was discharged from the Army Air Corp by then Secretary of War Stimson at the written request of Dr. Von Karmen who wrote directly to Secretary Stimson. He felt strongly that Puckett’s research work made him a more valuable asset to the war effort by remaining at CalTech. To his surprise, Puckett did not learn of his dismissal until he received the official letter from Stimson.
After earning his Ph.D. in Aeronautics in 1949, Dr. Puckett was recruited by Dr. Simon Ramo to join Hughes Aircraft Company to build the Aerodynamics Department. From there he moved to head the Research & Development Laboratories, of which the Aerodynamics Department was an integral part. At Hughes he continued to expand his engineering knowledge to the growing field of electronics, and he promoted the development and deployment of the first geosynchronous communication satellites. For this he was later awarded the National Medal of Technology with Dr. Harold Rosen in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan. Dr. Puckett also introduced the new world of computers to many executives by having Apple computers installed in their offices with the directive that they learn how to use them. He was an avid computer user himself and loved to spend time with friends trying new systems and preferred to do his own programming. Dr. Puckett was promoted frequently through the years while at Hughes and in 1978 he was named Chairman and CEO, following Pat Hyland’s long tenure. He retired in 1987, two years after Hughes’ acquisition by General Motors.
In addition to his work at Hughes, Dr. Puckett also served on a number of boards of directors, including General Dynamics Corp, Lone Star Industries, Fluor Corp, Logicon, and was on the Board of Trustees of the University of Southern California. He was a member of both the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences, and was named to the French Legion of Honor in 1985.
He was honored with the Lawrence Sperry Award (Inst. of Aeronautics Science, 1949), the Caltech Distinguished Alumnus Award (1970), the Lloyd V. Beckner Award (Am. Astronomical Society, 1974), the USC School of Engineering Award (1978), the Brandeis U. Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Field of Technology (1980), was the California Manufacturer of the Year (1980), received the Frederik Philips Award (IEEE, 1983), the Medal of Honor (Electronics), and the Medal of Honor (Electronic Industry Assoc., 1984).
Dr. Puckett was an avid yacht racer and cruising sailor. Over the years, he owned four different sailboats on which he cruised and raced thousands of miles. He was also a highly sought-after master navigator on his friends’ boats, in the days when a sextant, compass, a wristwatch, and paper charts were the primary, and sometimes only, equipment used. Later he helped to develop some of the first computer programs to assist in ocean navigation and performance analysis. In 1992, he was a member of the design team in Bill Koch’s successful defense of the America’s Cup with “America 3.” During his long racing career, Dr. Puckett participated in almost every major regatta in Southern California, three Los Angeles to Honolulu races, otherwise known as “Transpacs,” and many other regattas around the world, but his favorite races were those that finished in Mexico.
Dr. Puckett was also an avid hiker and outdoorsman, and was particularly proud of his summiting of California’s Mt. Whitney via the difficult “mountaineer’s route,” and he loved hiking in the Sierra Nevada as well as hiking with friends in the Swiss Alps.
He did not climb every mountain, but he did reach for some of the highest. He was a lover of music, and an exceptionally graceful dancer. He enjoyed playing the ukulele and the saxophone, and could sing a rousing sea shanty. The number of lives he touched is truly beyond measure, and he will be deeply missed by all who knew him and those who loved him. Dr. Puckett is survived by Marilyn, his wife of 50 years; his children Allen W. Puckett (Laura), Nancy Puckett Grant (Jeff), Susan Puckett Prislin, Margaret Puckett Harris (Russell), and James R. Puckett; six grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
