GPS World

Tag: obituary

  • James Litton, GPS and precision ag pioneer, dies

    James Litton, GPS and precision ag pioneer, dies

    James Litton
    James Litton

    James D. Litton, GPS pioneer and founder of NavCom Technology Inc., died over the weekend at his home in California with his family at his side. He was 89 years old.

    Litton was an early contributor to the development of GPS user equipment. He also played a pivotal role in the GPS-driven transformation of global agriculture that has greatly benefited humanity.

    Litton was the director of engineering at Magnavox Research Labs when researchers were working on using CDMA for range measurements, a precursor to the GPS system. He also worked on the original proposal for GPS Phase I.

    Later, as general manager of Magnavox’s Marine and Survey Systems Division, he helped develop new and advanced commercial navigation and survey receivers for both the Navy’s TRANSIT system and the Air Force’s GPS.

    His team developed the first microprocessor-based commercial satellite navigation receivers and the first commercial GPS survey software. This led to Magnavox eventually having more than a 90 percent share of the survey receiver market.
    The firm eventually held more than two dozen patents for improvements in GPS technology.

    In 1992, Litton left Magnavox to start a consulting business. Two years later, with Ron Hatch, K.T. Woo and Jalal Alisobhani, he founded NavCom Technology Inc. With Litton as CEO, NavCom became a significant player in the GPS marketplace. Among its achievements was development — under contract — of a single-frequency WAAS-capable GPS aircraft navigation receiver.

    NavCom also began a relationship with Deere & Company, supporting more efficient and productive agriculture. This relationship was so successful that Deere purchased NavCom in 1999. Litton continued to lead the company and serve as part of Deere’s senior management team for eight more years.

    In recognition of his many achievements to the field, Jim Litton was presented the Institute of Navigation’s Hays Award in 2006.

    Among his many contributions, his impact on global agriculture might well have been his greatest, according to Brad Parkinson, the original chief architect for GPS.

    “His work transformed agriculture into a data-driven, technological industry that was incredibly more efficient,” Parkinson said. “The cost savings and increases in productivity have impacted billions around the world.”

    Jim’s family has created a memorial fund at Doctors Without Borders for those wishing to make a donation in honor of his life and many good works. Click here.

  • Former GPS World advisor Terence J. McGurn passes away

    Former GPS World advisor Terence J. McGurn passes away

    Terry McGurn
    Terry McGurn

    Terence James (Terry) McGurn, former GPS World Editorial Advisory Board member and long-time CIA analyst, died on Aug. 28 at the age of 84, according to an obituary in the Fairfax (Virginia) County Times.

    After a long career in the CIA and U.S. government, McGurn served as a member of the GPS Independent Assessment Team and its successor, the National Space-Based Position, Navigation and Timing Advisory Board. The board provides independent advice to the National Executive Committee on GPS-related policy, planning, program management, and funding profiles in relation to the current state of national and international satellite navigation services.

    McGurn also served as a member of the Independent Review Team sponsored by NASA, which bridged civil and military communities’ GPS issues. He also served on various ad hoc teams that address the criticality of satellite navigation to the nation’s military and civil infrastructure.

    He was a member of the GPS World Editorial Advisory Board and was an active member of the Institute of Navigation. He served the CIA and the broader U.S. government until days before he passed away.

    McGurn was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on Aug. 24, 1935. He grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey, and he graduated from St. Peter’s Preparatory School in 1953. He moved up his draft and served as a radio operator in the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, and then was discharged as an SP-3 in 1956.

    He earned a bachelor’s and masters’ in electrical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and was Asst. Professor of Physics at NJIT, 1960-69. He earned his doctorate in Electrical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology in 1969.

    Terry spent his career at Central Intelligence Agency. A senior analyst and leader, he was appointed to the Senior Executive Service (originally Senior Intelligence Service) where he advised generations of policy leaders and operational leaders of the capabilities of the navigation and positioning of the U.S .and of adversaries and other nations.

    At the CIA, he developed and implemented methodologies that improved the intelligence community’s ability to assess the performance of foreign weapon systems. He also initiated outreach programs to provide the agency’s unique resources to the departments of Defense, State and Transportation in support of U.S. military, political and economic objectives.

    As an expert on the strategic and tactical weapons systems and navigation, guidance and control technologies deployed by potential adversaries, he was able to provide guidance to policy makers regarding the defense of the homeland and of military installations around the world. He briefed at the SECDEF and National Security Council level for decades.

    He retired in 2000, the recipient of the CIA Career Intelligence Medal, and numerous Exceptional Accomplishment and Exceptional Performance Awards.

    As a consultant, he continued to work with CIA and other agencies in the government, including the DOD, State, the newly established Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation, providing technology and analysis for their diverse missions including security issues related to satellite and terrestrial navigation worldwide.

    A long-time resident of Reston, McGurn passed away peacefully at Reston Hospital. He will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Reminiscences, condolences and photographs will be posted on this website in the coming months. Memorial donations can be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.