Edward T. Pfund, Jr.

Edward T. Pfund Jr., died Sunday, March 7th, 2010 at his home in Milford, NH. He was born in Methuen, Massachusetts on December 10th, 1923, the son of Edward T. Pfund, Sr. and Mary Elizabeth Banning. He developed an early interest in communications, raising carrier pigeons and becoming a short-wave radio listener as a pre-teen. At the age of 15, he became the youngest licensed Ham Radio operator in the State of Massachusetts and learned Morse code. After graduating from Methuen High School, he completed correspondence courses with the Midland Radio and Television School in Kansas City, Missouri. As a young adult, he worked to control remote live and syndicated broadcasts of performers like Benny Goodman, Les Brown and Sammy Kaye for WLAW. He volunteered for the newly formed US Army Air Corps in 1942, where he completed training in the Army Air Force Technical School for Radio Operators and Mechanics and the Army Airways Communication System Radio Mechanic School. He then went to Yale University to receive training as a communications officer and received his commission as 2nd Lieutenant. After receiving further radar and electronics training, he worked in Victorville, CA instructing bombardiers, navigators and pilots how to pin-point bomb targets from high altitudes using the Norden bombsight. After his discharge in 1946, Mr. Pfund attended Tufts University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a BS in Physics (1950). He went on to have a distinguished career that included service as a Foreign Service staff officer for the US Department of State’s Voice of America program in Tangier and Munich, work with Radio Free Europe and various electrical and aeronautical engineering positions focused on the design and development of high temperature coaxial cables for use by US Air Force Intelligence in the SR-71 Blackbird. From 1964-1968, Mr. Pfund worked for Hughes Aircraft on the NASA Surveyor project, directing the command control and performance of all six unmanned soft lunar landings. He worked briefly on NASA’s Lunar Rover project before transitioning into commercial satellite communications and international relations, where he spent the remainder of his career. Mr. Pfund spoke more than 5 languages, loved big band music, Elvis and karaoke. He preceded his sister, Ruth T. (Pfund) Kokko in death by four days. He leaves two daughters, Angela Andre and Gloria Pfund, both of Eugene, Oregon and one son, Edward T. Pfund III of South Korea; three grandchildren, Daniel Pfund of South Korea, Leah Rosin of Eugene, Oregon and Chris Rosin; a brother-in-law, William E. Kokko, Sr. of Milford; his nephews, William E. Kokko, Jr. and Robert F. Kokko and his niece, Elizabeth M. Banister all of Milford; eight great-nieces and nephews. Funeral services were private.