Harold J Tate

Harold James (Hal) Tate, of Center Harbor, NH, died on June 1, 2016 in Meredith after a brief illness. Hal was born in Brooklyn in 1922, the eldest of eight children. His father died when the children were young, and Hal acted as a father figure to his younger siblings. He was the first of his family to go to college, studying engineering at CCNY. When World War II began, Hal, like most men his age, attempted to enlist, but the Army asked him to continue his studies for a few more years. He served in the Army from 1943 to 1945 as a radio operator in the signal corps, setting up communications networks as the Army advanced through France to Germany. He was in transit to the Philippines when the war ended, and served in the Japan occupation force. After the war, Hal got a masters degree in electrical engineering from NYU, married Virginia Wiese, raised a family, and worked in the emerging fields of computer electronics and microwave communications. An early Atlas missile guidance computer that he helped to design was for many years on display at the Smithsonian Museum. Most of his career was spent at Raytheon, where he was a program manager for military radar installations, and from which he retired in 1987. He and Virginia then moved to Center Harbor, near where they had camped for many summers, to enjoy golfing and shooting sports. He was devoted to his family, and they spent vacations camping all over the U.S. He was well known to family and friends for his tendency to develop an interest in a new topic, and immerse himself in it until he became an expert. He pursued ham radio, the music of Berlioz, astrology, Church history, and genealogy with equal zeal. He served on the Lakes Region Planning Commission and the Center Harbor Planning Board for many years. Hal is pre-deceased by his wife Virginia. He is survived by his four children: Thomas Tate (wife Sally) of San Jose, California; Evelyn Tate (husband Randall Enger) of Sudbury, Massachusetts; Peter Tate of Marlboro, Massachusetts; and Steven Tate (wife Carmen) of Brookfield, Connecticut; and by four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sisters Grace Bottari of Montauk, NY; Joan Ozelis of East Harbor, NY; and Marguerite Pizzuto of Seal Beach, CA. Memorial donations may be made to the Pemi Fish and Game Club, P.O. Box 38, Plymouth NH 03264.

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Harold J Tate

September 16, 1922 - June 1, 2016