Frank H. Inderwiesen, Jr. (b. 1919, d. 2006), after graduating from Great Bend Senior High School, Kansas, in 1937, immediately began the pursuit of his passion in electronics. Little did he know he was setting the framework for his contributions to the aerospace industry. He moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where he earned a diploma in the "Science of Radio and Television" from First National Television, Inc. in 1938. During that time period he worked tirelessly in research; gaining valuable knowledge at their Television Laboratories, and assisting engineers in the construction of the experimental television station, W9XAL, in Kansas City, Missouri, which he operated as a research department employee post-graduation.

From 1940 to 1945 Frank was employed by Aircraft Accessories Corporation, later renamed the Aireon Manufacturing Corporation. Aireon manufactured radar and electronics equipment during WWII. Frank shared in the development of high-frequency transmission equipment built for the Civil Aviation Authority.

Frank left Aireon to join the Army Air Force in 1945, stationed at the AAF Research Lab, Wright Field, in Dayton, Ohio. Drawing upon his experience with the latest type cameras, transmitting and receiving tubes and circuits, he was assigned Project Engineer on special television equipment development for guided missiles. He was the AAF liaison representative with the RCA company and also supervised tests and set standards for the television equipment. The "Roc", a radio-controlled guided-missile with a television "eye" was the result of this work. The Roc is dropped from an aircraft and is remotely guided to its target by the bombardier using a television screen showing what the Roc?€™s "eye" sees.

After leaving the Army Air Force he earned a B.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering at Finlay Engineering College in 1948. After brief employment as Chief Engineer for Universal Television System in Kansas City, Frank was employed in 1950 by Midwest Research Institute in Kansas City, Missouri. He became Senior Engineer of the Electrical Engineering Section with research and development on instrumentation, ballistics, ultrasonics, radio frequency heating and communication. Frank Inderwiesen became a member of the American Rocket Society in 1958, and then the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1964 upon their merger.

Frank joined Martin Marietta in 1963 as a Design Specialist in Orlando at their Research Division's Physical Sciences Laboratory. He first worked on developing a charged-particle gravity meter, and then was assigned to the Optical Countermeasure Study Program as Task Leader. The TV Imaging Sensor/Laser Countermeasure Program was completed on time culminating with successful field tests of the airborne-pod TVCM system at Point Magu, California in 1975. Upon retirement from Martin Marietta, Frank starting businesses involving electronics and sailing, which he enjoyed for many years.

Frank's favorite hobby was the scientific study of UFOs, which he began in 1951. He assisted with the University of Colorado UFO study, 1969, for the USAF/NSF and was State Director of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) in Florida. Only now is the study of UFOs being taken seriously: he was a man ahead of his time.

As of 2022, he is survived by his wife, Dorothy, and five children: Patricia, Frank, Shirley, Philip and Paul.

(Photo: Frank H. Inderwiesen, Jr., 1945, as a member of the Army Air Force Research Lab, Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio)