PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Contact: John G. Watson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 2, 1997
JPL'S PAUL WESTMORELAND ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
Paul Westmoreland, director of the Telecommunications and
Mission Operations Directorate (TMOD) at NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, has announced his retirement effective June 29.
Westmoreland has served JPL for 37 years and will remain through
December in an advisory role during the transition period.
Taking over the reins as director beginning June 30 will be
Gael Squibb, who has served as the directorate's chief operations
architect and as manager of data services for NASA's Space
Operations Management Office since 1995. In the latter role, he
manages all of NASA's tracking and communications assets.
Westmoreland, who joined JPL in 1960 as a research engineer,
holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from
the University of Southern California and a master of engineering
degree from UCLA. His JPL posts have included manager and group
supervisor of the Deep Space Network (DSN) Data Systems
Development Section and manager of both the Large Advanced
Antenna System Project and the Mission Control and Computer
Center Development Section.
From 1980 to 1990, he was manager of the Telecommunications
and Data Acquisition Engineering Office, responsible for the
design and implementation of the DSN. Westmoreland, who has
served as both deputy director and, more recently, director of
TMOD, has been honored with the prestigious NASA Exceptional
Service and NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals.
Squibb, who holds a master of science degree in systems
management from USC and a bachelor of science degree in physics
from Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA, has served JPL for 30
years. His JPL posts have included acting ground system manager
for the Cassini project, manager of the Infrared Processing and
Analysis Center, manager of the Infrared Astronomical Satellite
Project, manager of the Mission Control and Sequence Systems
Design Section and chief of mission operations of the Mariner
Venus Mercury 1973 project.
Squibb has also served as manager of the Advanced X-Ray
Astrophysics Facility Science Center at the Smithsonian
Astrophysical Observatory and was assigned by JPL to the European
Space Agency for two years to work on the Infrared Space
Observatory Project. He has been honored with the prestigious
NASA Exceptional Service and NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals.
The Telecommunications and Mission Operations Directorate is
responsible for the development and operations of the worldwide
Deep Space Network and the Advanced Multi-mission Operations
System. It is also responsible for the operations of the Voyager,
Ulysses, and Galileo flight missions; the Space Very Long
Baseline Interferometry project; and the Frequency Management
Program.
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[Note to Editors: High-resolution photographs can be downloaded
from the following World Wide Web site:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/files/images/hi-res/p41587bc.tif (Westmoreland)
and http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/files/images/hi-res/p43643b.tif (Squibb).]
6/2/97 JGW
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