Retired engineer and executive.
Presently unpaid volunteer activities include:
- Grant writer for a senior choir, The Velvet Tones
- Website developer for Control Data nee Ceridian retirees club
- Website developer for Experimental Soaring Association
- Website maintenance for Glidersport - LightHawk microlift sailplane
- Board member - Stanton Airfield
- Board member - Ceridian Retirees
- Past Vice President, EAA Chapter 25, member EAA #9221
Schooling: Attended North Omaha High School. English teacher, Ms. Gatz, was the pivotal person for Mr. Adkins' success in school and business. Subsequently, he attended Omaha University (Engineering), Iowa State University (BSEE, Ames, Iowa) and University of St. Thomas (MBA, St. Paul, Minnesota).
Professional Career - 39 years: Area of expertise was research and development of super computers. His responsibility was bringing projects to completion through integration of the system (hardware and software) followed by delivery and integration at the customer's site. Customer base was primarily DoD and major government labs. Some work was classified. Best contributions was taking over troubled projects and getting them finished. He was particularly skilled at running Red Teams. The Red Team reviews proposals through a process of pretending to be the government source selection board. The Red Team then faces the Proposal Team with a score (pass, fail, etc.) coupled with recommended improvements to the proposal. A good Red Team will make the difference in winning or losing.
Early in his career, Mr. Adkins set a World Guinness Record for fastest computer using the Control Data Corporation (1979): CDC Star-100
My retirement is very busy:
- Building a low-wing, all-metal aircraft, the Hummel UltraCruiser
- Team member that built a full-size 1903 Wright Flyer replica for a museum
- Maintaining several local and national webpages
- Flying gliders and power planes in the summer
- Sailing ice boats in the winter
- For several years, piloting the club tow plane to launch glider pilots.
- Playing the piano and saxophone
- Attending many plays, musical and orchestral events.
My websites include:
- Carbon Dragon microlift glider
- Hummel UltraCruiser
- Experimental Soaring Association
- Dale Johnson, Chronicles Dale's accomplishments in aviation
Dale has been inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame
Further, an entry on Wikipedia:
- Microlift glider ... Note: I wanted to call this entry "Microlift" but Ahunt convinced me to leave as is.
S Steve Adkins 20:06, 19 May 2007 (UTC) Updated August 1, 2010
S.Steve.Adkins (talk) 04:49, 7 April 2012 (UTC)