A short summary in Paul’s words:
I grew up in Portland and Seattle, but came to the U.S. as an infant from Austria. After high school I went to Reed College ( B.A. physics), followed by U.W. (M.A. history) and Johns Hopkins (Ph. D. History of science and technology). I had the pleasure of assisting Jon Bridgeman at the U.W. Afterwards graduating I professed history at Georgia State University in Atlanta, curated at MOHAI and managed Boeing’s historical activities, retiring in 1993. I have written lots of articles on aviation, plus a few horse racing and Arctic exploration. I helped found the Guild, wrote lots of its newsletter, assisted with its annual dinners and conferences, and was also its president for two years.
Excerpt from presentation of award, March 2, 2018
..getting to know Paul a little over the past half dozen years or so has been very enjoyable and I’m sure that each of you would agree that working with him at any level is a special and unique experience.
My first exposure to Paul was through the regular newsletters and thoughtful communication that he put out on Guild events. This was my introduction to the Guild, and it was a tangible factor in forming my impression and later getting more involved. I have since enjoyed many pleasurable conversations, and I learn a great deal in each articulate, always gracious, encounter.
.. Paul became a part of history from his earliest months, when his family left Austria on the eve of the Anschluss, in 1937. He grew up in the Northwest, and was drawn to scientific and technical subjects as well as the humanities. He has contributed to historical pedagogy, curation, and writing in many ways. He helped create our Guild and his legacy has touched each of us here, in that regard. At the height of his career, his broad background made him especially well-suited to help organize the massive archives of material at Boeing in a way that met traditional needs, as well as that of an engineering organization. Several aspects of his career at Boeing were unusual and some might make us envious. Imagine being not only guaranteed print runs of tens of thousands for monographs and articles, but being able to command the services of writers, editors, and layout designers to produce them – on a deadline! But also the challenge and frustration of having so much historical material close at hand, yet unable to prevent its removal and destruction by the unsharing, the uncaring, and the simply uninterested.
Today, he is still an avid skier, enjoys life in his Portage Bay houseboat, his beautiful 130 year old Austrian piano, attends cultural events, and is of course an ever-present supporter of the Guild.