Father Of Range Safety At The Cape Passes Away Peacefully

Blogger Note: This just in from the family of Louis J. Ullian, the father of rocket range safety on Florida's Space Coast, the engineer who established the independent safety office that has overseen some 3,500 missile, rocket and shuttle launches without a single injury or death outside the gates of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center. Ullian, former chief safety engineer at the Air Force Eastern Range, ruled range safety with an iron fist, always striving to ensure rockets never would endanger increasingly populated communities around the two launch sites. He told his son, Mike, recently that his greatest accomplishment in life was the extraordinary safety record achieved since the range safety office was established in the early days of the nation's space program. His family wrote up this obit:

Louis Joseph Ullian
Merritt Island, FL

Louis Joseph Ullian, age 78, of Merritt Island FL, passed away peacefully May 16, 2010 with his wife of 55 years, daughter and son, by his side. Lou was born in Worcester Mass. on March 5, 1932. He married Helen Reinhart Place on June 24, 1954 in Ft. Lauderdale FL.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Ullian is survived by his daughter Linda Ullian Schmid, son-on-law Robert Culver Schmid, grandchildren Robert Alexander Schmid, and Emmalee McCallon Schmid of Knoxville, TN, son Mike Ullian, daughter-in-law Christine Ullian and grandchildren Jake, Zack, and Matt Ullian of Indialantic, FL, by brother Arthur Ullian, sister-in-law Louise Ullian of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and brother Charles Ullian and sister-in-law Sveta Ullian of Umatilla, FL.

He graduated from Ft. Lauderdale High School in 1950, graduated from Purdue University in 1955, where he played football and received a M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering. He served in the U.S. Navy, Naval Weapons Station from 1956-1959 as a hardhat underwater ordnance diver. For 40 years he worked with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and NASA ending as Deputy Director of Safety. He was instrumental in every manned and unmanned launch from the Cape including the Apollo missions.

Lou was an original member of the Real Eight Company and spent over 30 years researching, finding and documenting Spanish wrecks and the treasure they contained. He also loved building model train layouts, scenery and attending train conventions. His layout has been shown on Public TV, in national train publications and has a worldwide following of model railroaders.

Lou loved being with his family, grandchildren and attended sporting events and other family gatherings. He supported environmental and animal welfare, and especially cherished his German Shepard’s.

Lou was a loved member of Eastminster Presbyterian Church for over 50 years and served as a Deacon, Elder and Sunday School teacher.

Lou fought a courageous 20-year battle with Parkinson’s and will be missed by friends and family, and his life teachings, will always live on.

The memorial-celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, May 22 at 11:00 am at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Indialantic FL with a reception immediately following in the Worship Center.

In lieu of flowers the family requests any memorial donations to be made in memory of Louis J. Ullian, either at the National Parkinson’s Foundation, 1501 NW 9th Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 106 N. Riverside Dr., Indialantic, FL 32903 or the Humane Society of South Brevard, 2600 Otter Creek Lane, Melbourne, FLA 32940.