Distinguished Engineer Citations

                 

Fredrick S. Yeatts, Ph.D.

Distinguished Engineer

2003

Degree

US Naval Academy, B.S. – 1959

Degree

Mechanical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, M.E. – 1964

Degree

Electrical Engineering, Ph.D. – 1970

 

Citation

At Time of Nomination in 2003

Fredrick S. Yeatts graduated from Meadows of Dan High School in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and attended the United States Naval Academy. Dr. Yeatts earned a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1964 and a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University in 1970.

Upon graduation from the Naval Academy he was commissioned as a second Lieutenant in the US Air Force assigned to the Air Defense Command. He specialized in the radar support and missile launch operations for the Bomarc Missile system. He worked as an analyst and engineer at the Air Force Technical Applications center on acquisition and worldwide deployment of low frequency recording systems.

Dr. Yeatts managed the very large electromagnetic pulse simulator facilities at Kirtland Air Force Base used for testing for nuclear weapons effects on the US bomber fleet and missile arsenal. Subsequently, Dr. Yeatts was assigned to the engineering efforts for the development of the Airborne Laser Laboratory System. The Air Force selected Dr. Yeatts to establish an advanced telecommunications accredited degree program for senior Air Force communications specialists at the Keesler Air Force Base technical training center.

Subsequently, Dr. Yeatts was assigned to systems acquisition duties at Hanscom AFB as the chief government engineer for a very large Iranian telecommunications project ultimately undertaken by the Bell Systems in Iran. Following this work, Dr. Yeatts was selected as the chief engineer for the Pave Paws, a very large ground base radar surveillance system scanning both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as a primary sub launched ballistic missile warning system. His last Air Force assignment was the position as deputy director for the Combat Grande program that provided for a ground based radar system used by Spain for both civil air and air defense needs.

Upon completion of his military career in 1979, Dr. Yeatts joined Riverside Research Corp as an engineering analyst supporting the acquisition and testing of the Cobra Judy, a very large shipboard phased array radar system and other specialized radar systems used for arms treaty verification. After six years of extensive industry experience in various company positions, Dr. Yeatts started Applied Research and Engineering Corp. in 1985. Notably for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory he defined the key experimental issues and communications simulations to be accomplished for missile defense analysis for the Hypercube Project, a large, distributed, parallel processing system.

In 1992 Dr. Yeatts subsumed Applied Research and Engineering Corp. into the Sencom Corp. Sencom Corp. provided a wide range of technical analysis, engineering and operational support to various government departments and agencies. Dr. Yeatts as owner and CEO of Sencom Corp. carefully expanded the firm to over 350 employees with operating locations in 10 states, Puerto Rico and interestingly, in the Republic of Georgia where Sencom Corp. was supporting the installation of modern border communications and detection equipment in the Caucasus mountains.

To ensure very long–term employee job assurance and successful management succession in case of potential personal health and aging issues Dr. Yeatts sold Sencom Corp. to the Titan Corporation. He completed the very successful company transition in 1992. Dr. Yeatts is now currently heavily involved in farmland and woodland preservation activities.

Dr. Yeatts and his wife Ines have one daughter, Dr. Karin Yeatts.

Texas Tech University is honored and proud to name Fredrick Yeatts as DISTINGUISHED ENGINEER.

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