USS Pavlic - APD-70 A History

Ralph Harris Biography

This account of the Wartime Cruise of the USS Pavlic was written by Ralph Harris, a radioman on the ship. Ralph grew up in Millinocket, Maine. Upon graduation from high school in June 1944, he joined the Navy. He served in the Navy from 1944 to 1946.

After discharge from the service, Ralph attended Harvard University on the G.I. bill, obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Physics in 1950. Following graduation, he worked for Raytheon in Waltham, Massachusetts for 2 years before attending the University of Wisconsin, obtaining a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering in 1954. He met his first wife, Mildred Enerson, while attending the University of Wisconsin. After graduation, he accepted a position as an engineer at the Boeing Company in Seattle where he enjoyed a 35-year career. He worked on a number of projects, including: the Lunar Orbiter, the BOMARC Missile, and the AWACS programs.

Ralph and his first wife had three children before she died in 1967. He married Carol Wilson in 1982. Ralph retired in 1990 from the Boeing Company. He and Carol live in Olympia, Washington where he is active in the local Lion’s organization, his backyard garden, and in maintaining a large contingent of wild birds that visit his ample feeders. Ralph enjoys time with his son and two daughters, two stepsons, and eight grandsons. Photos of Ralph Harris were taken in 1944 at age 18 yrs. and in 2005 at age 79 yrs.

Contact Ralph Harris

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