Tributes

By Leslie Spaulding:  Wavelengths, January February 2001 

Donald Collins, Head, Machinery In-Service Engineering Directorate

Captain John Preisel, former Carderock Divison Commander

Captain John Preisel, former Carderock Divison Commander

Rich's work also extend to several classes of ships.  Auxiliary ships, amphibious ships, mine warfare whips, and cruisers all benefited from his experience.  The Navy was able to take advantage of increases in computer technology to introduce cost-saving systems know as a suite of smart technologies into many ship classes.  This will reduce maintenance and manpower required to operate and maintain these ships.

Rich's contributions will be long lasting in two key ways.  His ideas will be part of our Navy's ships for a  least the next 30 to 40 years.  For example, the ship in the DDG 51 Class is not yet built, and each of them will bear his fingerprints.  This is a very satisfying part of our business, and Rich's contribution will stand this test of time exceptionally well.  His work will live on in a more fundamental way, however.  There is a small group of engineers and technicians that Rich worked  closely with.  He passes on his skills to them each day.  There were no formal classes, but one could not help but learn when with Rich.  This was a very informal classroom, but and exceptionally effective one.  We must continue what Rich started.

Perhaps more important, the 'state of the art' of Rich's brain became valuable to the Navy almost immediately.  Coincident with this test effort, the Navy was designing a new war ship-'DDGX,' soon to become the Arleigh Burke Class.  This ship was to have a digital distributed control system, and it was to be software based-meaning the Navy would need to establish technical capability for maintaining software as a software support agent.  We were clueless as to how to do this when asked by the acquisition office if we could perform the function.  Almost no one in the acquisition team expected us to be this agent.  This was the territory of Dahlgren.  The problem was, Dahlgren as a combat system agent for Aegis, does not understand machinery and tutored Rich on the requirements of software maintenance.

From that day on, it as 'Rich's show.'  He became famous for this effort and, as we now know, it has spun off into work today that approaches 200 work years per year.  All of these people performing these efforts were touched and trained by him, and hi legacy will live for 100 years or more in this organization.  I'm proud to have known him, and he is truly a 'technical giant!'

More importantly and as you might imagine from what I've written here, I was also close to Rich personally.  Once of the things that comes to mind when I think of him is the saying my mother always used with me-'If you can't say something good about someone, don't say anything'  While I try to practice this, Rich lived it.  In the 24 years I knew him, I never heard him speak disparagingly of anyone.  It was one of the endearing qualities of Rich that I remember so well, and it humbles me to know my failure here and his success.

Over the years, I have come to know many program managers in Crystal City who knew and worked with Richie from the early RACER days to DDG 51 MCS to CG 47 ISC and every other platform involving MCS.  Everyone respected him and really appreciated his technical expertise and his easygoing demeanor.  He made everyone so comfortable that you weren't intimidated by his technical depth and breadth.

His loss is so great to all of us at SSES and to the Navy.  We will miss him as a colleague and a friend.  It will take me a long time to get over not seeing him sitting in his office when I walk down the hallway in the 77H LBES complex, expecting to see the arch in his eyebrow and the smirkish smile saying 'how ya doing?'  He will be remembered fondly by all of us, and I expect that his legacy in MCS will live on, and he will be talked about for a very, very long time.

Following that, in the late 19802, Rich moved into the major role of installing, testing, and developing the MCS for the DDG51 Class.  As a result of his work, NAVSSES eventually became the software support activity responsible for maintaining the software for the entire class.   While doing this, he also managed to play a major role in the control system developments [SMCS, Smart Ship, and ISC] which resulted in the systems now being installed in the CG47 Class.  In his spare time-I guess-he  also worked on the second generation control system for the DDG 51 Class now being installed during new construction.

I was always impressed by the number of balls he could keep in the air at the same time.  He never uttered a cross word or passed by without a smile; although he was often carrying a workload that would crush most people.  Over the coming months and years, we will appreciate even more the job he did for us as we learn how much more difficult it will be to do the job without him.

Yet, it is often forgotten that the software maintenance of the DDG51 Class MCS was to be sent to a third party contractor upon completion of testing.  It was even rumored that all DDG 51 MCS operational crew training could be done via simulation at Great Lakes and that the DDG51 LBES itself might become a 'white elephant' ripe for the chopping block.  However, Rich proved that NSWC could do the software maintenance and even some controls development here.  He took small steps to prove what could be done, and convinced U.S. Navy officials to bring the software maintenance here.

Today, about 12 engineers in this section alone [Machinery Control Systems [DDG51/AOE 6]] work on the DDG51 existing control system, supplying new software to 30 current DDG Class ships with 27 more on the way.  Many major configuration changes have been tested here in Philadelphia along the way, including testing out a major change in the DDG 83 for which Rich was awarded the prestigious Aegis Excellence Award.

Yet the sphere of his influence expands for beyond our work with the DDG51 Class.  Out initial success with DDG software maintenance quickly led to a task to maintain AOE 6 Class MCS software, led by one of Rich's young engineers John Conran.  From there, Rich helped convince the Navy that NSWC could rip our and redesign the MCM 1 Class propulsion and electric plant controls system.  This effort was successfully led by Rich's original software project leaded Jeff Cohen.  At that time, Rich was directly involved with testing the CG Class MCS upgrades at the LBES.  Once deemed to be too large a task to undertake, NSWX will be installing futaaure aCG back fits in 2002.  This faith in NSWC is due in large portion to Richie's unique relationship with PEO TSC 400 and the faith that they have gained in the engineers that have learned directly form him over the years.

All of htese successes have continued to have ripple evvects, bringing here other projects such as MHC 51 and USS Rushmore, and perhaps these successes help make sure that tasks now performed by other departments such as integrated bridge and network maintenance would be done here at NSWC and not contracted out elsewhere.

The loss of Richie is tragic to his family, his friends, and his country.  While the U.S. Navy has been cheated out of 10 years of his service and dedication, they were blessed with the 25 years that he gave.  He also left behind many naval engineers whom he  taught and changed forever.

Rich taught us all a strong work ethic, a can-do attitude, and always reminded us that the Fleet came first.  Along the way, he taught us that 'there is no such thing as a stupid question,' and he taught us how to figure out most of the answers on our won.  Richie's work must now be continued by those he has taught, many of whom now teach others by leading testing, projects, and sections.  He will truly be missed by those he knew.

Rich traveled extensively.  He would go through drastic measures to get a little bit of work done.  One time I got a phone call while he was on travel-his hotel did not have a jack to connect to his laptop for email, so he cut the wire and needed to know the correct color code to connect to his laptop.

Rich always came to me for an electronic gadget or technical book about something that is not a popular topic, like MS Windows NT security or registry.  He would give a smile and say I came to you first because I knew you'd have it. 

I owe the opportunity I've been given to work in the MHC 51 Class M/SCSISEA/SSA team to Rich.  Back in 1995, he asked me if I could handle the lead of the team and saw the potential in me to give me the chance.  Thanks Rich, for the counsel you proviced to me for both my professional and personal life.

Rich trained many of the engineers and technicians on the DDG 51 LBES and many who have moved on to other positions.  He was instrumental in developing the CG 47 integrated ship controls test team, which has put SSES in the position of becoming the systems integrator and installing activity for the system..

Rich was one of the most dedicated and talented engineers that zI haaave worked with during my career.  I consider myself fortunate to have worked with him directly for the last year and a half, and will greatly miss his counsel, his wisdom, and most of all, his friendship.  Much of the success we have achieved-and I believe that the Navy has achieved-in machinery controls is directly attributable to Rich.

His passing is a great loss to this organization, to me personally, and to his friends and co-workers.  There is no doubt that his legacy will be with many of us for the rest of our careers.  We have all been truly blessed by his presence.  May God bless te Cunningham family during this difficult time.

Walter Lippmann once wrote that "the final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on...the genius of a good leade4r is to leave behind him a situation which common sense, without the grace of genius, can deal with successfully."

Rich was indeed a leader