James Elms (1916-1993) began his aerospace career at Consolidated Vultee in 1940 as a junior stress
analyst. During WWII, he served with the US Army Air Forces at Wright Field (later Wright-Patterson
AFB) where he developed a cartridge positioner which prevented turret guns from jamming. After the war
he received his Bachelor of Science in Physics from the California Institute of Technology and his Master
of Arts Degree from the University of California. He worked for North American Aviation as manager of
the Armament Systems Department, Autonetics Division. There, he was responsible for research,
development, and design of fire control, radar and allied systems. Upon leaving North American, he
became the manager of the Avionics Department for the Denver Division of the Martin Company, where he
was responsible for design and development of guidance, flight control, and other electronic and electrical
systems for the Titan Missile. In September of 1960 Mr. Elms joined the Ford Motor Company,
Aeroneutronics Division, after a brief stint at the Crosley Division of AVCO. While at Ford, Elms was
recruited to join the senior staff of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Manned
Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, eventually becoming Deputy Director. During the 1960s, Elms held
a variety of other administrative positions at NASA, including Deputy Associate Administrator for Manned
Space Flight, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC. After his service there, Elms became the Director of
NASA's Electronics Research Center (ERC). The ERC was slated to be closed at the end of 1970. Elms
was able to rally support for the ERC and get the majority of his directorate transferred to the US
Department of Transportation as the Transportation Systems Center. This initiative saved many jobs and
allowed important government research to continue. Upon leaving official government service, Mr. Elms
continued to work as a consultant for government and private industry. James C. Elms passed away on
May 7, 1993.
