Edmund A. Boniface |
| Posted 2009-05-28 by Fountain Hills Times |
| Edmund A. Boniface, 93, of Fountain Hills, was a Bachelor of Science aeronautical engineer graduate from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa in 1935 and a resident of Fountain Hills since 1984. He went to the Lord on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2007. He was born April 18, 1914 in Morristown, N.J. and was preceded in death by his parents, Edmund A. and Evelyn V. and his only brother, John K. Boniface, II who died in an automobile accident at age 20. Edmund and his first wife, Doris Weaver, had two children, a daughter, Doris B. Albus, and a son, John K. Boniface III, who served in the U.S. Navy from 1960 to 1963 and was active in Viet Nam. John died in 1999 at age 54. Edmund’s life was dedicated to the design and functioning of propulsion systems for commercial and military aircraft, helicopters and missiles. His first job was with Wright Aeronautical Corp. from 1939 to 1942 at Paterson, N.J. that produced supercharged engines. He was drafted by the U.S. government in 1942 to serve as assistant director of engineering at American Airlines for the purpose of modifying designs for aircraft required overseas in World War II. In 1950 he was able to leave American Airlines to join Lockheed Aircraft in California where he became manager of the propulsion systems advanced design department. He also served in the additional capacity of power plant staff engineer for all Lockheed spacecraft and water propulsion systems. After he retired from Lockheed in 1978 he joined Williams Research headquartered in Walled Lake, Minn. the firm responsible for the design and production of the engines for cruise missiles produced by Boeing and General Dynamics. He finally retired in 1982. It was Edmund’s participation in the accident investigation of the loss of one of the wings at cruise altitude on aircraft operated by Braniff in 1959 and Northwest in 1960 that led to his wondering what the pilots might have said just prior to the wing loss and during descent, as well as the type and nature of any sounds or explosions that may have preceded or occurred during the wing loss. This led in 1963 to the invention of his cockpit sound recorder, which is termed by the media as the “black box.” Voices as well as other sounds such as explosions and the break up of any major aircraft structures are picked up and recorded by a number of microphones throughout the cockpit cabin and recorded by the “black box” located in the aircraft tail section. Edmund is survived by his first wife, Doris Weaver, and their daughter, Doris B. Albus. After Edmund’s divorce from Doris’ mother he married Caroline Burghoff on Nov. 11, 1949 and was predeceased by an adopted daughter, Alison Murphy, as well as son-in-law, Jess Murphy. He is also survived by an adopted son, Guy W. Boniface and daughter-in-law Ann T. Boniface, of Wilmington, Delaware; and grandson, Scott Boniface of Santa Barbara, Calif.; granddaughter Holly Boniface of Lynchburg, Virginia, and granddaughter Beth Eriksen of Wilmington, Del., grandson-in-law, Gus Eriksen and great-grandsons, Paul and George Eriksen. Fountain Hills Times January 2, 2008. |
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