V.S. HARDIN - ARCHITECT OF AWS' FUTURE                                     by                   MajGen (Ret) John Collens, AWS/CC 1974-75>When I joined the Hq AWS Plans staff in 1958, V.S. Hardin was assigned tothe Aerospace Science directorate (or whatever it was called then).  He wasretired from active duty and employed as a civil servant.  Why this article?Well, some may not know of his contribution to the modernization of AWS norof his recent death.>In 1958 AWS operated without the benefit of today's electronic devices andAFGWC did not own a computer system.  These were the grease pencil, acetateoverlay, sling psychrometer, visual observation, pibal ceiling measurement,draw your own maps and charts, manual effort days.  Providing weatherservices was labor intensive and every detachment did its own thing withoutmuch help from centralized Weather Bureau (now NWS) and AWS sources.  Theteletype and rotating-drum facsimile machines were our only link with"automation".  Our radar was the barely adequate APQ-13, a cast off from theB-29 aircraft.>>It was peacetime - no conflicts to bolster the manpower base of AWS.Things had to change so that AWS could get out of the WW II mode ofoperation and supply the technological advancements needed by Air Force,Army and other agencies.   A system labeled 433L was on the drawing boardsto provide the hardware to serve those needs.  Like the forerunner of todaysAWIDS, it would deliver data in a more timely manner and get AWS on the roadto modernization.>>V.S. Hardin was Hq AWS' point man in that effort - the architect of itsfuture. But, even more, he was my mentor in that modernization effort.  Iaccompanied him to the 433L working group meetings at ARDC's Hanscom AFB aspart of the learning cycle.  Separately, he and I were building the case toprovide AFGWC with its first computer (it was using SAC's system parttimewhen available).>>Those on active duty today are the benefactors of V.S. Hardin's foresight.He and others who followed helped bring AWS out of the scientific dark ages.The U.S. Air Force has its visionaries.  Air Weather Service had one of itsown - V.S. Hardin.  History must record his contributions.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------