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Erwin F. Branahl
BSCE '43
Alumni Achievement Award

Erwin F. Branahl was Executive Vice President of McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company from 1985 until his retirement in 1987. Earlier he had been Vice-President of Engineering (1968) and Vice-President-General Manager (1974). In addition, he held the position of Corporate Vice-President beginning in 1978 until retirement.

Mr. Branahl received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in 1943 from Washington University on full academic scholarship and his Masters of Science degree in Applied Mechanics from Washington University in 1951. He attended Bowdoin College for six months in 1944 for Naval Pre-Radar studies and attended M.I.T. in 1945 for eight months for Airborne Radar Training.

Mr. Branahl began his career as a stress analyst in 1943 for Curtis-Wright. His career was interrupted by World War II where he served in the U.S. Navy as a Radar Maintenance Officer. In 1946 he returned to St. Louis to begin his 41-year relationship with McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company where he was a key participant in NASA's Mercury Spacecraft, Gemini Spacecraft, Skylab, and Shuttle Orbiter Programs. He was also intrinsically involved in the USN Harpoon Missile, the USN/USAF Tomahawk Cruise Missile, the USAF Satellite Laser Communication System, and the Commercial Automated Clinical Microbiology (VITEK) Programs, amongst many others.

Mr. Branahl was a member of the USN Laboratory Advisory Board for Air Welfare, and is currently a member of the Navy League, the American Defense Preparedness Association, the National Aeronautic Association, the National Space Institute, and is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He was Vice-President of McDonnell Douglas' Employee Charity Board. Mr. Branahl served on the Board of Directors for the Greater St. Louis Council of Lutheran Churches. He currently serves on the University of Missouri, St. Louis, Chancellor's Advisory Council.


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Charles G. Gulledge
BSME '41
Alumni Achievement Award

Charles G. Gulledge is a former Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of DynCorp. He is currently the President of SI3, Inc., a business consulting firm located in Arlington, Virginia which he formed following his retirement from DynCorp in 1984.

Mr. Gulledge received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1941 from Washington University. He went on to do graduate work at Harvard and M.I.T. while serving in the Marine Corps, specializing in advanced electronics. His service in the U.S. Marine Corps Aviation Detachment during World War II led to a life long interest in aviation.

After the war, in 1946 Mr. Gulledge joined Emerson Electric Company's Electronic and Avionics Division. By 1956, Mr. Gulledge had risen to the position of Corporate Vice-President and General Manager, and served as an Advisory Member to the Company's Board of Directors.

In 1960, Mr. Gulledge joined the Dynalectron Corporation as President, Director and member of the Executive Committee of its Board of Directors. In 1974, he was named Chief Executive Officer. It was through his leadership that the company played an important role in our nation's defense. In addition, nationally, Mr. Gulledge became known as a pioneer of synthetic fuels and co-founded the National Council of Synthetic Fuels Production.

Mr. Gulledge has received numerous honors and awards. He was the recipient of the 1985 Citizen of the Year Award for Fairfax County, Virginia. He is President of the Northern Virginia Community Foundation and received their prestigious 1983 Founders Award. He also serves as a leader of many of Northern Virginia's academic, charitable and cultural organizations.

Mr. Gulledge is a Trustee of the Fairfax Hospital Association, a Director of ACACIA Federal Savings Bank. He serves also as a Director of Vanguard Technologies International Corp. and the World Trade Center (Washington).


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John R. Moore
BSME '37
Alumni Achievement Award

John R. Moore joined Northrop Corporation in 1979 as Assistant to the Senior Vice President of Business Development of the Electronics Systems Group. Mr. Moore was elected to the position of Vice President and General Manager of Northrop's Electro-Mechanical Division in October of 1985, and holds that position today.

Mr. Moore received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in 1937. Upon graduation, he joined General Electric and completed its three-year Advanced Course in Engineering program.

After completing the program, Mr. Moore stayed with G.E. for six more years in airborne gunfire control and missile guidance and control. From 1946-48, Mr. Moore was Associate Professor of Mechanics and Director of the Dynamical Control Laboratory of the Washington University Research Foundation.

In 1948, Mr. Moore joined North American Aviation as Group Leader of their Aerophysics Laboratory Electromechanical Group and was promoted to Director of Engineering for Guidance, Control, and Electronics. In 1955, Moore was appointed the General Manager of the Autonetics Division and in 1960, became its President. He became Executive Vice President of North American Aviation and a member of its Board of Directors in 1966.

In 1967, he was elected President of North American Rockwell and a member of the North American Rockwell Board of Directors.

In 1970, Mr. Moore joined McDonnell Douglas as Vice President, Subsidiaries. He then set up the Actron Division and became its President plus acting as Chairman of the Board of the Nitron McDonnell Douglas microelectronics subsidiary. He set up his own consulting business in 1978, and then he joined Northrop in 1979.

Mr. Moore is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He is a fellow of the IEEE and the AIAA, and is currently serving on the U.S. Army Science Board.


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Hermann F. Spoehrer
BSEE '24
Alumni Achievement Award

Herman F. Spoehrer co-founded the Sporlan Valve Company with Harold T. Lange in 1934. At the time of his death in January, 1968, Mr. Spohrer was serving the Company as its Vice-President and Treasurer.

Mr. Spoehrer received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1924 from Washington University. He was a member of Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Xi honorary fraternities.

Mr. Spoehrer was a leader in promoting the growth of the refrigeration and air conditioning industry. He was one of the select few individuals in the industry who was honored by being elected a president of a manufacturers' association and also of a professional engineering society.

Mr. Spoehrer was a member of the committee representing ASRE in the merger with ASHRAE. He later served on many committees for the combined society, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers.

Mr. Spoehrer had a deep sense of civic responsibility and served many organizations here in St. Louis. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis. He served for twenty years on the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement in various capacities including Chairman of the Finance Committee, President and Chairman of the Board. Always active in alumni affairs, Mr. Spoehrer was Chairman in 1957-58 of Washington University's Business Firms Division of Sustaining Associates.

Mr. Spoehrer established a pattern of philanthropy during his lifetime that continues today through the beneficence of his wife, Harriet Baur Spoehrer. Washington University and in particular its Schools of Engineering and Medicine are much better than they would have been had there never been a Hermann F. Spoehrer.