Editor's note: This is the third in a series of articles celebrating our 75th anniversary.

By Jill Brimeyer

The old black and white photograph that rests on the desk of Weston J. Lahr, a software engineer at Rockwell Collins in Portland, Ore., catches a lot of eyes.

Taken in 1959, it captures a moment in time when Collins Radio Company - now Rockwell Collins - was still a young company with a big future. The expansive snapshot at a facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, shows a woman instructing young technicians on the art of soldering quality joints.

Link to the past – Weston Lahr, a software engineer at our facility in Portland, Ore., is frequently asked about the photograph on his desk. Taken in 1959 at our company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the photograph shows Lahr’s maternal grandmother, Hazel Knott, leading a soldering class.
Photo by Craig Alness, Portland, Ore.

The woman in charge is Hazel Knott, Weston Lahr's maternal grandmother. She was employed with our company for 28 years. Knott worked on the production line and as a soldering instructor for contracts such as the Apollo manned spaceflight program, retiring in 1982 - the year Lahr was born.  The photo represents not just a piece of Lahr's family history, but that of our company. And, often, the two overlap.

The family lineage includes Lahr's paternal grandmother, Mildred Lahr, who worked for our company for 35 years, first in publications and then as our company librarian; his father, Jim Lahr, who served in various engineering and program management roles for more than 28 years; and an aunt who had 26 years of service as an administrative assistant to the director of Human Resources. Also included are briefer stints by Weston's mother, Pat; his paternal grandfather; and his older sister, Erin, who spent five summers interning at Rockwell Collins before embarking on her own engineering career.

In all, the family figures that they've built up a cumulative 130 years of experience at our company.

A tradition continues

"When my dad was working in program management, I would get to go see his office and meet the people he worked with," recalled Weston. "But the best part for me was seeing the environmental chambers, the manufacturing floor and all of that. I was already interested in techy-type things, so it was definitely exciting."

Three generations - All of the family members in this photo - which was taken about four years ago - have worked for our company at some point in their careers. Pictured from left to right are Erin (Lahr) Sturtz, Weston Lahr, Hazel Knott, Pat (Knott) Lahr and Jim Lahr.
Photo courtesy of the Lahr family.

Weston's father, Jim, also recalls going to work with his mother on occasional Saturdays when he was a child. At age three or four, he would play with paper punches or create books in the lobby with the guard.

But when he grew older, Jim was able to do inventory or work as a test technician during the summers. For him, it was a great place to be.

"When I was young, I was interested in electronics, and I got a ham radio license when I was 13 or 14," said Jim. "I was also interested in airplanes. So when you've got a world-class communications and avionics manufacturer in your hometown and your mother has worked for them for years, it just made sense for me to work there too."

Weston's own opportunity to don the company badge came when he was just 16 years old and was hired in the summers to lend his expertise in the Visual Basic quick development computer language to various projects. After he earned his software engineering degree from Iowa State University, Weston was offered a job at Motorola in Chicago, but turned down the offer in favor of returning to Rockwell Collins.

Linking the past and the present

While the Lahr family is strongly rooted in the traditions of Collins Radio's earlier years in Cedar Rapids, its members also took the opportunity to branch and grow around the globe - much like our company itself.

The grandmother in the photo, Hazel Knott, spent the latter portion of her career traveling the country setting up production solder training programs, and spent several months in Yugoslavia training local workers to build backpack radios. And Weston's sister, Erin, interned at our Reading, United Kingdom, facility.

With his own move to Portland from Cedar Rapids in May 2008, Weston was able to apply his expertise in model-based development tools for Head-Up Displays - a key skill for the site. And he got a new adventure in the bargain.

"It seemed like an interesting product to work on, and I was able to get out and explore a great new city and interface with a different part of the company," said Weston. "It's good to be a specialist, but I also really like to learn about all kinds of products."

And when he moved to the West Coast, Weston brought along with him that black and white photograph - his link to the past as he seeks his future in Portland.

"I keep it on my desk, and probably 100 people have asked me about it since I've been here," said Weston. "It makes a great conversation piece."

Banner photos on top:

A family tradition – Long before Jim Lahr became an electrical engineer, he occasionally visited our workplace with his mother, Mildred Lahr, on Saturdays. Mildred worked for our company for 35 years, first in publications and then as our company librarian. As Jim grew older, he was able to obtain career-related experience as a test technician at our company. Taken in 1963, the photo on the left is of Jim Lahr, while the photo on the right shows Jim and Mildred in 1979.

The middle image is the photograph on Weston Lahr's desk. Hazel Knott is standing next to the middle table on the far left. Photos courtesy of the Lahr family.

Share your family story - Are you also part of a family that has had multiple generations work for our company? Send us your family story via email at empcomm@rockwellcollins.com.