Floyd Alvin Paul March 14, 1923- Aug. 31, 2012

Floyd Alvin Paul, beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away on August 31, 2012. He was 89 years old. He joins his beloved wife of 60 years, Dorothy, who preceded him in death by three years.
Floyd was the third of 4 sons of Burton Wesley and Emma Lovina Boyd Paul, born on March 14, 1923 in Medford, Oregon. He and his brothers, Homer, Gordon and Robert grew up in Glendale where Floyd played the clarinet in the Sheriff’s Boys Band and at E. J. Toll Jr. High. His mother, Emma, supported herself and her 4 sons working as a pharmacist. Floyd graduated from John Marshall High School in Hollywood, running the mile in track and working in a radio repair shop. He received his radio license in 1940. He worked at Lockheed until he was drafted in 1943. He became a high-speed radio operator (MOS 766) and was eventually assigned to the 160th Armored Division attached to the 20th Army. During the last days of the war, he trekked through southern Germany attached to General Patton’s Third Army. Discharged in 1945, Floyd used his G. I. Bill of Rights to enroll at USC in electrical engineering.
In the fall of 1948, Floyd met Dorothy Ruth Jensen on a double blind date and they were married on June 4, 1949. Upon graduating from USC in 1951, Floyd began work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. After 2 years at JPL, Northrup made him an offer “he couldn’t refuse”. He worked on their missile program called “Snark”, setting up and directing a program similar to the one he had been doing at JPL. A year later he went to Bendix Aviation where he worked on supersonic drones, doing reliability work on component parts.
During this time, two daughters were born, Carol Ann and Jane Boyd. Floyd and Dorothy bought the home in Glendale that they would live in for 50 years. Floyd then worked for Radioplane for 6 years before returning to JPL where he worked in the Reliability and Quality Control Section. The programs Floyd worked on were Ranger, the Mariners, Surveyor and Seasat. At the time of his retirement in 1978, he headed the Reliability Section.
Floyd enjoyed his girls and loved a good joke. He often teased them and then laughed so hard, he fell on the floor. The family took several car trips to Minnesota and Canada visiting Dorothy’s relatives, in addition to spending many Saturdays deep sea fishing off San Pedro. Floyd and Dorothy enjoyed travelling to Europe and Africa with his brother Gordon and wife Wilma, and taking cruises with the Strands and the Thoresons from church. Floyd was a lifelong member at Salem Lutheran Church where he served as a deacon, taught Sunday school and was active on many committees. Floyd and Dorothy built a cabin in Lake Arrowhead in 1966 and the family spent their summers water skiing, fishing and playing cards. After selling their cabin in Lake Arrowhead, Floyd and Dorothy spent many enjoyable years at their condominium in Solana Beach.
During retirement, Floyd volunteered for several local programs, VITA and SCORE for the SBA, where he served as a counselor for 17 years to small businesses helping them out of trouble. He then volunteered for the Glendale police COPPS unit RSVP program (Reserved Seniors Volunteer Program). His real love in retirement was collecting, preserving and writing about antique radio subjects. He published 4 books, the Radio Horn Speaker Encyclopedia, and three smaller books on Los Angeles Radio Manufacturers, the First Twenty Years, 1922-1942. He collected 145 horn speakers and was the horn speaker editor of the Antique Wireless Association (AWA) for 20 years. He served as president of the Southern California Antique Radio Society (SCARS) and as editor of the SCARS Gazette.
Floyd will be remembered for his lively sense of humor and interest in the world around him. He was dearly loved and will be profoundly missed by all who knew him. For the last 7 years of his life, he lived across the street from Carol and Ed who supported him and helped in his care giving. The last three years of his life he was blessed to have three wonderful caregivers: Sol Carlos, Caring Manuel and Lydia Sindelar.
He is remembered by his daughters Carol (Ed) Anderson and Jane (Randy) Bozarth and grandchildren Erik, Kelsey, Matthew, Morgan and Taylor. A memorial service will be held Friday, September 7 at 11:00 AM at Salem Lutheran Church, 1211 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale.