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Adrian "Andy" Anderson '52
Andy was born April 5, 1926 in Belfast, Ireland to John Robert and Maria Dempsey Anderson, His father, a fitter, worked at the Harland & Wolff ship yard on many large ships; including the "Titanic". This bit of info, you could say, was Andy's minute claim to fame. His father died when Andy was only six years old, leaving his mother to raise him, a brother and sister by herself.
By the age of 14, he had completed all required courses and graduated with high marks from the public school system. He then, at this young age, was employed as an office boy at Short Bros. and Harland Ltd., an Aeronautical Engineering firm, in Belfast, Ireland, for 2 years before entering into contract with this same company as an Indentured Apprentice for the next seven years. While at Short Bros., Andy was in constant contact with, all aspects of hands-On and class room activities pertaining to the aircraft industry.
Upon completion of his apprenticeship, Andy received High Honors of Recognition for his work and accomplishments from Short Bros. and the Belfast College of Technology. At this time he could have continued working for this company, but he had decided he wanted to broaden his horizons and come to the U.S.A. He contacted an uncle, who lived in Princeton and asked him to sponsor his immigration to the States. His uncle agreed to this request. and Andy arrived in the U.S. in the spring of 1949, with only a few dollars in this pocket and his most prized possession, a collection of LP records of mostly operas and Irish tenors of that time.
In April, 1949 he gained employment at the Guggenheim Jet Propulsion Center, Princeton, NJ as research assistant engaged in computing & drafting ,and testing assistant on ram-jet projects. The following, year he applied for admission to Princeton. He was eagerly accepted and was awarded a full scholarship and entered Princeton as a first term junior in the School of Engineering for the academic year of 1950-51. Andy was always very grateful and proud of this scholarship.
After graduating in 1952, he accepted ,a position at Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tullahoma, a small, middle Tennessee town that had been, during WWll, an Army Training Base and P.O.W. Camp. It was on this 40,000_acre site AEDC was being built. The conception of AEDC was born near the end of WWII, when it was openly revealed through the AAF scientific advisory group of German engineers & research facilities, headed by Dr. Theodore von Karman, that the German long range planning of research facilities for aeronautical development were much more ambitious and forward-looking than the U.S. It was with this realization and knowledge that the establishment of a new Air Force Research & Development Center was imperative. These was the early years of aerospace' research and development in this county and Andy was a part of it. He, along with many other young engineers & German scientists that had been working on "rockets" for years, in Nazi Germany, arrived at AEDC to pool their knowledge and make this the biggest & best Testing facility in the world- they were successful.
The key mission of AEDC is to test & evaluate aircraft, missile & space systems prior to actual flight. It also played a key role in the development of nearly every high-performance flight system in use today by the Air Force, Navy & Marines.
In June '52, amid 100°+ temps, Andy arrived in TuIlahoma. He was almost ready to leave as soon as he got here - but he didn't. After a few weeks of orientation in an old, non air-conditioned Army barracks, Andy was asked to go to Pasadena, CA for training in wind tunnel operations. He returned to AEDC in 1953 and began his wind tunnel testing career..
Living in small town Tullahoma at first was a big adjustment for Andy, being from the large city of Belfast. He soon found favorite hang-out, "Archie's", a very unique and up-scale bar for that place and time. It was kind of like a southern version of Boston’s “Cheers". It was there many friendships were started that endured throughout the years. It was also here he met his future wife, Bettye Jo, a native Tennessean who was employed at AEDC as an engineering aide.
Andy's work at the Center included aeronautical engineering calibrations, research and testing on numerous flight systems, including all aspects of the space program from Gemini up to the space shuttle. He wrote numerous reports explaining operations and results of tests he had been involved with.
Andy retired in 1990, but continued to work part-time for a few years as a consultant and also with the Air Force in compiling classified and secret documents.
Andy was an avid golfer at Lakewood Country Club and Arnold Golf Club. With retirement, he was finally able to play so much golf - he would actually miss a day or two. A lot of his golfing buddies were the same friends he had first made back in 1952.
Andy was also an opera- buff and played his "old LP's" (loudly) quite often. He also was a lover of books of all kinds and a very rapid reader. Andy also enjoyed his crossword puzzles very much; the harder the better, and always worked them in ink. '
Through the years, he had several opportunities to climb the corporate ladder, but that usually would have involved a move - to the east or west coast; neither appealed to him, as he really enjoyed Jiving in Middle TN. The rolling green hills & lowlands with lakes all around reminded him somewhat of his native Ireland; so that is where he chose to live out his life and raise his family. On the return to Tullahoma from his last trip to Belfast, with two of his sons, he made the statement - "We had a great time, but it sure is good to be back home."
Andy is survived by his wife of 52 years, Bettye Jo; 3 sons- Royce (Rhonda) Anderson, Des (Donna) Anderson & Ian (Becky) Anderson; 2 daughters- Sheelagh (Joe) Bryan & Leslie (Butch) Meadows; 12 grandchildren- Wayne, Robert, Jason, Katie, Stuart, Emily, Hannah, Adrian, Anna, Keri, Kacie & Stefan; and 2 great grandchildren- Kera Jo & Ayden.
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