Alden Partridge Colvocoresses
Alden Partridge Colvocoresses (September 23, 1918 – March 27, 2007) helped to develop the Space-oblique Mercator projection with John P. Snyder and John Junkins, and developed the first satellite map of the United States in 1974.
Alden Partridge Colvocoresses | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 23, 1918 Humboldt, Arizona, U.S. |
| Died | March 27, 2007 (aged 88) Falls Church, Virginia, U.S. |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} United States |
| Branch | U.S. Army |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | 1st Armored Division |
| Wars | World War II, Korean War |
| Awards | Silver Star (2), Purple Heart |
Biography
Early life
Colvocoresses was born in 1918 to George M. Colvocoresses II and Alice Hagen, in Humboldt, Arizona. He is the grandson of George Partridge Colvocoresses and the great-grandson of George Colvocoresses.
Army career
Colvocoresses served in the U.S. Army in World War II, in the 16th Armored Engineer Battalion of the 1st Armored Division, in North Africa and Europe. He was twice wounded in combat and has received the Purple Heart, as well as two Silver Stars; one for destroying a German tank in Tunisia, and another for escaping from his Italian captors in North Africa.[1]
He became involved with aerial photo mapping for the 1st Army, where he oversaw some of the photo mapping as preparation for the Normandy landings. He also served in the Korean War,[1] and retired after playing a large role in mapping operations during the Vietnam War.
Later life
Colvocoresses spent the rest of his career working for the U.S. Geological Survey's national mapping division, retiring in 1990. He was a research cartographer on the Landsat satellite program and received two patents for models of remote sensing systems. Alden helped to develop the first satellite map of the United States.
He died on March 27, 2007. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
References
- "Washington Post obituary". The Washington Post. April 3, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
Further reading
- Hessler, J. (2003). Projecting Time: John Parr Snyder and the Development of the Space Oblique Mercator Projection. Library of Congress.