Bob

Even at 21 years old with the ink on his photo science degree from RIT barely dry, Robert Shanebrook recognized the significance of the project to which he was assigned at the Eastman Kodak Co. in March 1969.  He was to test the film to be used in something called the Apollo Lunar Surface Close-up Camera to be taken to the moon and used by astronauts that summer. His job was to ensure the film did not fog, could advance properly, and document the camera.

Biography:

Robert L. (Bob) Shanebrook is the author of Making KODAK Film, ©2010 and ©2016. 

Bob graduated from RIT and started working in Kodak Research and Engineering (R&E) in March 1969.  In 1974 he moved to Kodak's Photographic Technology Division designing films and film processes.  From 1984 until he retired in 2003 he was Worldwide Product Manager for Professional Film. In retirement he consults on photographic matters for Rochester Museum and Science Center and George Eastman Museum.

Email:

Address:Rochester, United States

David

When he initially joined Kodak in 1957 he spent 12 years working as a systems engineer on the first US satellite reconnaissance systems at Lincoln Plant, Unit 7. From 1957, when he first started working on the project, until 2011 when it was declassified, McDowell was sworn to secrecy. But now, the results of this once top-secret Kodak program is on full display at the Strasenburgh Planetarium.

Biography:

David Q. McDowell, is 1957 graduate of the University of Rhode Island with a B.Sc. degree in Engineering Physics. He retired in 1999 from the Eastman Kodak Company where he worked for 42 years. At the Kodak Research Laboratories, David worked on aerial photography, micrographics, remote sensing, and graphic arts (printing and publishing). 

During the last 15 years or so of his work at Kodak he became heavily involved in both domestic (ANSI) and international (ISO) standards for printing and publishing.  He was a key participant in both the creation of the ANSI accredited standards effort within the United States graphic arts industry and in the reactivation of ISO/TC130, Graphic Technology. He was chair of a number of key committees in both ANSI and ISO.

In retirement he worked nearly full-time as a volunteer with NPES (Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies), to further the development of graphic arts standards. NPES is the graphic arts trade association that provides coordination of all United States graphic arts accredited standards activities and United States involvement in international graphic arts standards activities.  He resigned from these activities in 2014.

He is a longtime member of both the Technical Association of the Graphic Arts and the Society for Imaging Science and Technology.  He is a past president of the Technical Association of the Graphic Arts and an Honorary Member of the IS&T.  He was a Visiting Scholar with the School of Print Media at Rochester Institute of Technology for 8 years.

Email:

Address:Rochester, United States

Jim

Jim Meyer, a retired Chief Technical Officer and Director of R&D of the Eastman Kodak Company, will host our panel discussion. 

Biography:

Trained as a physical organic chemist, he has held numerous positions in research during his nearly 30 years at Kodak.  He was also the European Business Unit Manager for the X-ray film business for Kodak while living in London.  He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and did his graduate work in photochemistry at the California Institute of Technology, and postdoctoral work at Stanford.

Dr. Meyer, a previous chairman of the RMSC Board, founded the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) which is a volunteer group of scientists, engineers, educators, and craftsmen who design and build interactive science exhibits for the RMSC.  In the 20+ years since TAG was founded, TAG has created hundreds of interactive science exhibits for the RMSC.  TAG continues to be his major volunteer effort in retirement, and he continues to be very involved in TAG projects and the expansion of TAG’s capabilities.

Dr. Meyer has also done volunteer work for the National Research Council, Rochester Institute of Technology, the Center for Electronic Imaging at the U of R, and Habitat for Humanity.

He lives in Perinton with his wife Jennifer, and they have two children and four grandchildren who live in Clifton Park, NY and Covington Kentucky.  When not volunteering he enjoys building and flying radio-controlled model airplanes.

Email:

Address:Rochester, United States

Barry

Barry Blake, a Design Engineer on Gambit 1 program, was part of a team of Eastman Kodak engineers which, in the late 1950’s, began working on a highly sensitive project for the U.S. government. The top secret satellite camera system would be used to spy on the Soviet Union.

Biography:

Design Engineer on Gambit 1 program, Electrical Design Supervisor on MOL program.  Camera Payload mgr. on a later program. Moved to commercial side of Kodak, Positions: Mgr. QC in B & PP Div., Manager Product Design & Dev. (B&PP), Mgr. Design & Dev. Ektachem Blood Analyzer,  Mgr. D&D for KIMS (image management system). Moved back into Government Systems as Mgr. Tactical Imaging Systems. Many other spot assignments including a two-year stint in Industrial Relations.  Retired from Kodak in 1991.

Following retirement, Worked for a small local engineering firm for 13 years. On BOD of a software firm for a few years.

Address:Rochester, United States