Inducted
05/04/1996
Degrees
B.S. Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, 1949
M.S. Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, 1954
Harold Smith received the BSEE (1949) and the MSEE (1954) degrees at WVU. He served on the Electrical Engineering faculty from 1949-54. Since 1978 Mr. Smith has been a Consultant to the National Intelligence Agency, as a specialist in microwave electronics. His earlier work was Vice President, R&D, for Household Data Systems in Reston, Virginia from 1973-78, and Devenco, Inc. in New York, NY from 1953-73. In those positions he developed a wide variety of communications devices and systems.
Much of his work has been an expansion of his MS thesis titled "Noise Figure Measurements and Fluctuation Factor." Noise measurements and communications in the presence of noise are his major professional interests and contributions.
For his work at the National Intelligence Agency he received its Distinguished Service Medal in 1994. Part of the award citation reads "His innovative developments in the field of microwave electronics have enabled the Agency to provide unique intelligence from a broad variety of difficult targets not exploitable by any other means."