End of an Era – The National Historic Electronics Museum
For those of us who have had the opportunity to visit the Northrop Grumman facility in Linthicum, Maryland, or for those who have had the experience to travel to the Baltimore Washington International Airport or have even visited the area by the Amtrak train, I’m sure that many of you will remember with fondness the National Electronics Museum or, as it was formerly named, the National Historic Electronics Museum.
The museum was originally established in 1980 by Westinghouse employee Robert L. Dwight, who started the museum’s collection in 1973 by conducting a "Family Day" exhibit to display his colleagues' work. Titled "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow", the exhibit showed examples of past and present Westinghouse work to represent the company's progress through the eras.
Dwight then decided to pursue more radar systems and other electronics for viewing. His first mission, taken on with the help of Jack Sun, a former U.S. Air Force officer and Westinghouse employee, was to acquire the BOMARC missile radar from the Department of Defense. This missile housed the first airborne pulse-doppler radar, AN/DPN-53. However, to gain access to the radar they had to be classified as a non-profit museum.
After gaining advice and paperwork from Westinghouse lawyer, Butch Gregory, they founded the National Electronics Museum in 1980. Finances and storage space were handled by Westinghouse, and in 1983, a 190 m² (2,000 sqft) portion of space was devoted to the museum at the Airport Square III. Then, in 1986 the space was extended to 370 m² (4,000 sqft). Formerly run by volunteers, the museum hired its first professional employee in 1989 and subsequently relocated to Friendship square in 1992.
In 1996, the Northrop Grumman Corporation acquired the Westinghouse Corporation but continued supporting the various museum activities. The museum closed its doors temporarily when it underwent construction in 1999 and reopened with over 2000 m² (22,000 sqft) of space. This space included a conference room, event hall, gallery, and a climate-controlled warehouse.
The museum displays the history of the United States defense electronics[1] and houses exhibits containing assortments of telegraphs, radios, radars, and satellites with many displays featuring hands-on electronics. The library also serves as a research center open to the public[2] and, additionally, maintains an amateur radio station, K3NEM/W3GR, which broadcasts live from the museum each week using both antique and updated communication equipment.
The museum also offers education programs such as YESS (Young Engineers and Scientists)[6] and the annual Robot Fest (held annually on the last weekend of April), as well as the Robert L. Dwight scholarship. Donations and grants are accepted from foundations and engineering societies. Board members include former Westinghouse employees and Northrop Grumman associates. Other public foundations such as Anne Arundel County Public Schools, the Carnegie Institute, American Alliance of Museums, the University of Maryland – Baltimore County, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, Allied Signal, and Hertzbach & Company support the museum. Over 30 volunteers donate over 5,000 hours of their time each year.
During the past 40 years since its inception, the National Electronics Museum has served as an educational resource to a generation of students and engineers alike. However, it now appears that this national treasure is in danger of being closed forever. In a message recently sent by Mike Hinkey, a museum board member, and R. Noel Longuemare, chair of the museum’s Senior Executive Advisory Panel (SEAP), it was announced that Northop Grumman had made a business decision and the museum would need to exit the current facility by March 2023.
Since that time, they have since been working with the Museum Leadership to identify a post-March 2023 transition plan for the Museum which includes revamping, downsizing, & reframing the scope of the artifacts, identifying and cultivating new funding resources, refocusing the organization on STEM education, and leveraging the collection to enhance their educational programs. They are also working with several Real Estate brokers to identify a new location for the Museum in the Anne Arundel County area and are seeking sponsorship from local Government, Non-Profit, and Philanthropic entities to secure the long-term financial future of the museum.
In the near term, they are also seeking support from individuals to get them through this transition period. If you can help in any way, please contact Mike Hinkey ([email protected]) and he will connect you with the Museum leadership.
Figure 1: The National Electronics Museum in Linthicum, MD
Figure 2: Electronics Gallery at the National Electronics Museum
Figure 3: Light Diffraction Experiment
