One - singular, unique. On the fifth of June, 1968, Cary Hunter graduated
first in his class at USAFA. He received a Certificate of Merit from
the Colorado Engineering Council and was a member of CS-27 when he graduated.
As a characterization of who and what he was, this merely scratches
the surface. During his Air Force career he worked in Southern California
at SAMSO, the Space and Missile Systems Office, the predecessor to Space
Command. His contributions included helping to develop an astrogator,
a sextant for astronauts for the Apollo program. In his off time he
modified a panel truck into a camper-van and lived in a parking lot
in Manhattan Beach so he could grab his board and hit the waves when
the surfing was good. Following his service he decided on a solo walk
across the United States. Unlike Forrest Gump, Cary was a meticulous
planner. He pre-positioned supplies along his route, marking them with
oranges flags. Beginning in LA he got as far as Winslow Arizona where
he had to abandon the effort. When his brother Alan came to pick him
up, he wasn’t expecting Grizzly Adams and so passed him by once
before the spark of recognition fired. Cary’s intellect and eclecticism
were the basis of stories that would astound and delight. He effortlessly
and in an unassuming manner commanded the center of attention. One summer
he took a job feeding wood into a chipper so he could work on his approach
to unification of Einstein’s theories and the development of the
Grand Unified Theory of the universe. The story of his getting a job
in Silicon Valley in the early 1980’s is just as outrageous but
totally indicative of Cary. On a Friday he interviewed for a job as
a programmer at a San Jose tech firm. Although he had never worked as
a programmer or worked on their computer, a Digital minicomputer, (the
PDP-11, for computer historians), he asked to borrow the manual over
the weekend. He was hired on Monday and began working on a system he
was unfamiliar with until 3 day before. Cary was always a very private
person he was a wonderful brother who gave what he could when he could.
He had a special fondness for his nieces and nephews and they have extremely
fond memories of their time with Cary. Cary passed away on the 28th
of February 2008 in Vancouver, Washington. Born on December 6, 1946
in Glendale, California, Cary was 61 years old. He is survived by his
sisters, Anita Hunter of San Diego, California, Jeanne Wall of St. George,
Utah, and Marie Cogley of Washougal, Oregon, brothers Alan Hunter of
Tempe Arizona and Lynn Hunter of Bakersfield, California, and numerous
nieces and nephews. Interment was held at the Willamette National Cemetery
in Portland, Oregon. Memorial Donations: American Cancer Society, PO
Box 22718, Oklahoma City OK 73123-1718 or online at www.cancer.org. (Anita Hunter, J.B. Schroeder '68, Tom Vail '68 and Alan Hunter
'72)
One - singular, unique. On the fifth of June, 1968, Cary Hunter graduated
first in his class at USAFA. He received a Certificate of Merit from
the Colorado Engineering Council and was a member of CS-27 when he graduated.
As a characterization of who and what he was, this merely scratches
the surface. During his Air Force career he worked in Southern California
at SAMSO, the Space and Missile Systems Office, the predecessor to Space
Command. His contributions included helping to develop an astrogator,
a sextant for astronauts for the Apollo program. In his off time he
modified a panel truck into a camper-van and lived in a parking lot
in Manhattan Beach so he could grab his board and hit the waves when
the surfing was good. Following his service he decided on a solo walk
across the United States. Unlike Forrest Gump, Cary was a meticulous
planner. He pre-positioned supplies along his route, marking them with
oranges flags. Beginning in LA he got as far as Winslow Arizona where
he had to abandon the effort. When his brother Alan came to pick him
up, he wasn’t expecting Grizzly Adams and so passed him by once
before the spark of recognition fired. Cary’s intellect and eclecticism
were the basis of stories that would astound and delight. He effortlessly
and in an unassuming manner commanded the center of attention. One summer
he took a job feeding wood into a chipper so he could work on his approach
to unification of Einstein’s theories and the development of the
Grand Unified Theory of the universe. The story of his getting a job
in Silicon Valley in the early 1980’s is just as outrageous but
totally indicative of Cary. On a Friday he interviewed for a job as
a programmer at a San Jose tech firm. Although he had never worked as
a programmer or worked on their computer, a Digital minicomputer, (the
PDP-11, for computer historians), he asked to borrow the manual over
the weekend. He was hired on Monday and began working on a system he
was unfamiliar with until 3 day before. Cary was always a very private
person he was a wonderful brother who gave what he could when he could.
He had a special fondness for his nieces and nephews and they have extremely
fond memories of their time with Cary. Cary passed away on the 28th
of February 2008 in Vancouver, Washington. Born on December 6, 1946
in Glendale, California, Cary was 61 years old. He is survived by his
sisters, Anita Hunter of San Diego, California, Jeanne Wall of St. George,
Utah, and Marie Cogley of Washougal, Oregon, brothers Alan Hunter of
Tempe Arizona and Lynn Hunter of Bakersfield, California, and numerous
nieces and nephews. Interment was held at the Willamette National Cemetery
in Portland, Oregon. Memorial Donations: American Cancer Society, PO
Box 22718, Oklahoma City OK 73123-1718 or online at