"I watched the decline of the golden age of big band music with much regret," reflected Arthur R. Blackwcll. "In fact, musical arranging and orchestration were my initial career objectives, but World War II intervened. My musical career was abandoned, and engineering later became a first and foremost endeavor."

Art was born in Chicago but grew up in New York City. That put him close to the big bands who held rehearsals in Manhattan at studios above the Roseland Ballroom and at the Savoy and Golden Gate Ballrooms in Harlem in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Friendships with such greats as Erskine Hawkins and Julian Dash developed. "Recently in Las Vegas, I had an opportunity to reminisce with Buddy Rich on the Tommy Dorsey era. I had once played clarinet, piano and tenor sax. Like Count Baste, I favor the tenor sax for band instrumentals and feel that Antoine Sax invented the saxophone for such great sidemen as Coleman Hawkins and Johnny Hodges, who brought its great potential to fruition. I still attempt to follow what the great instrumentalists are doing, and where they are, but I don't play seriously anymore."

He is, however, seriously interested in today's youth. With his wife of nearly 31 years, Emma, they have long been committed to a national organization, Jack & Jill, whose purpose is to provide cultural and recreational activities for black children. Emma was President of the Sacramento Chapter for two years, and has served the Los Angeles Chapter in various steering committees. She has also served on the Board of Directors of the L.A. junior Bowling Association.

"Our life has always been centered on our own children," added Art. "Anywhere we went, they went with us— bowling, fishing, hiking, sightseeing vacations. And we're really proud of them. Arthur, Jr., 28, is a LTjg. in the Navy."

In 1947, Art was accepted at MIT, and received his BSME degree in Jan 1951. He began course work toward his master's, but was lured away by the glamour of working on the Bell X-1 and X-2 rocket aircraft in Buffalo, N.Y.

He started work at Aerospace Corporation as an engineer, and soon became section head of basic and applied experimental rocket research in the rocket division. After five years, he joined Aerojet General in Sacramento as section head of thrust chamber development for Titan engines. He also worked on the NERVA program, an in-house large liquid oxygen/hydrogen engine, and finally, the development of a throttable engine for Air Force sled research work.

Art's aerospace career began in May 1961. As a Member of the Technical Staff in Aerospace Corporation, in the propulsion department, he worked on Titan application advanced studies, Dynasoar, and the ADVENT programs. He then spent seven years in the satellite systems division, working part of that time in the standard launch vehicles office supporting the Gemini, the ASSET, and START programs; then on Air Force Special Projects programs, as manager supporting the Navy Transit Program; and finally on the Manned Orbital Lab (MOL).

In March 1969, he became associate director of the information systems office in the development planning division working on long-range system planning studies. In January of this year, he was named associate director of the space systems defense office in the technology division.