John LeGrand Bird (1905-1996)
Born in Rexford Flats, NY, John LeGrand Bird was an electrical engineer who spent most of his long career working for General Electric, Sperry Gyroscope Company and Bendix Marine Corp., among others.
An engineering graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, he worked on submarine navigation systems with Sperry's top-secret security clearance Electric Boat in CT during WWII. A mid-century gyroscope expert, he helped to develop the same for the Apollo space program.
He was born on December 17th, 1905 to early General Electric engineer Lee Grand Bird, also an RPI grad, and his mother, Anna Mary Henkelmann Bird; a granddaughter of Prussian immigrants. Mary's family was also connected to the early days of G.E. in Schenectady.
John held several patents after his retirement from Bendix Marine, from marine adhesives to the first patented marine propeller lock, bought for use in Navy contracts and most notably on tall ships such as "The Pride Of Baltimore I".
John L. Bird married Rachel Alice Galbraith (1908-2007), a graduate of the New York State Teacher's College and a noted watercolor artist. John and Rachel lived in the modest saltbox home they built in Greenwich, Connecticut, from 1948 until their deaths. They had one child, John Legrand Bird II (1932-2006), and four grandchildren.
Born in Rexford Flats, NY, John LeGrand Bird was an electrical engineer who spent most of his long career working for General Electric, Sperry Gyroscope Company and Bendix Marine Corp., among others.
An engineering graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, he worked on submarine navigation systems with Sperry's top-secret security clearance Electric Boat in CT during WWII. A mid-century gyroscope expert, he helped to develop the same for the Apollo space program.
He was born on December 17th, 1905 to early General Electric engineer Lee Grand Bird, also an RPI grad, and his mother, Anna Mary Henkelmann Bird; a granddaughter of Prussian immigrants. Mary's family was also connected to the early days of G.E. in Schenectady.
John held several patents after his retirement from Bendix Marine, from marine adhesives to the first patented marine propeller lock, bought for use in Navy contracts and most notably on tall ships such as "The Pride Of Baltimore I".
John L. Bird married Rachel Alice Galbraith (1908-2007), a graduate of the New York State Teacher's College and a noted watercolor artist. John and Rachel lived in the modest saltbox home they built in Greenwich, Connecticut, from 1948 until their deaths. They had one child, John Legrand Bird II (1932-2006), and four grandchildren.
John LeGrand Bird (1905-1996)
Born in Rexford Flats, NY, John LeGrand Bird was an electrical engineer who spent most of his long career working for General Electric, Sperry Gyroscope Company and Bendix Marine Corp., among others.
An engineering graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, he worked on submarine navigation systems with Sperry's top-secret security clearance Electric Boat in CT during WWII. A mid-century gyroscope expert, he helped to develop the same for the Apollo space program.
He was born on December 17th, 1905 to early General Electric engineer Lee Grand Bird, also an RPI grad, and his mother, Anna Mary Henkelmann Bird; a granddaughter of Prussian immigrants. Mary's family was also connected to the early days of G.E. in Schenectady.
John held several patents after his retirement from Bendix Marine, from marine adhesives to the first patented marine propeller lock, bought for use in Navy contracts and most notably on tall ships such as "The Pride Of Baltimore I".
John L. Bird married Rachel Alice Galbraith (1908-2007), a graduate of the New York State Teacher's College and a noted watercolor artist. John and Rachel lived in the modest saltbox home they built in Greenwich, Connecticut, from 1948 until their deaths. They had one child, John Legrand Bird II (1932-2006), and four grandchildren.
Born in Rexford Flats, NY, John LeGrand Bird was an electrical engineer who spent most of his long career working for General Electric, Sperry Gyroscope Company and Bendix Marine Corp., among others.
An engineering graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, he worked on submarine navigation systems with Sperry's top-secret security clearance Electric Boat in CT during WWII. A mid-century gyroscope expert, he helped to develop the same for the Apollo space program.
He was born on December 17th, 1905 to early General Electric engineer Lee Grand Bird, also an RPI grad, and his mother, Anna Mary Henkelmann Bird; a granddaughter of Prussian immigrants. Mary's family was also connected to the early days of G.E. in Schenectady.
John held several patents after his retirement from Bendix Marine, from marine adhesives to the first patented marine propeller lock, bought for use in Navy contracts and most notably on tall ships such as "The Pride Of Baltimore I".
John L. Bird married Rachel Alice Galbraith (1908-2007), a graduate of the New York State Teacher's College and a noted watercolor artist. John and Rachel lived in the modest saltbox home they built in Greenwich, Connecticut, from 1948 until their deaths. They had one child, John Legrand Bird II (1932-2006), and four grandchildren.
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