Archival Adventures - Episode 66: B.P.  Blasingame Papers
Channel: VTLibraries
Date: 2022-05-23

Today's adventure takes us to the 20th century space race and the B.P. Blasingame papers. Dr. Benjamin Paul Blasingame was born on August 1, 1919 in State College, Pennsylvania. He majored in mechanical engineering at Pennsylvania State College and was a cadet in the school's ROTC program. He graduated in 1940 and was called to active duty in the United States Air Force in 1941. While still in the Air Force, Blasingame received his Doctor of Science degree in 1950 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After his military career, Blasingame became the director of engineering at AC Spark Plug, the Electronics Division (Delco) of General Motors. Under his leadership Delco would become the leading contractor for NASA's Apollo guidance and navigation systems.