Grant L. Hansen; 4-time World War II survivor later was aerospace executive
By Hieu Tran Phan
STAFF WRITER
October 11, 2008
Grant L. Hansen was wounded during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and he survived three ship sinkings in World War II.
After leaving the Navy, he went on to become an executive in San Diego for defense giant General Dynamics and its Convair division.
He shared family dinners with close friend and astronaut Neil Armstrong, and his children often played with those of another pioneering astronaut, William Anders.
But Mr. Hansen's relatives said his military and aerospace accomplishments paled in comparison with his pride in having a happy marriage and family.
Mr. Hansen died Wednesday at Sunrise Senior Living in Bonita from complications of Parkinson's disease. He was 86.
“He never drank; he never smoked. He just concentrated on being the best husband and father, and he forged an incredible career,” said his son David Hansen of Paso Robles.
Mr. Hansen was born Nov. 5, 1921, in Bancroft, Idaho.
He served in the Navy from 1940 to 1945 and fought in eight major battles at sea. The ships that were sunk were the battleship California, the heavy cruiser Northampton and the aircraft carrier Hornet.
Mr. Hansen met Iris Rose Heyden while on survivor's leave in Chicago. The couple wed April 21, 1945, and remained together until her death in 1993.
Mr. Hansen retired from the Navy at the rank of chief petty officer. He then attended the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1948.
After working for several years at Douglas Aircraft Co., he came to San Diego in 1960 to join Convair as its chief engineer for design. He rose to become a vice president who oversaw all Convair Launch Vehicles and the Atlas/Centaur rocket-booster project, a major element of the United States'early space program.
In 1968, Mr. Hansen was chosen to work as assistant secretary of the Air Force for research and development. While at the Pentagon, he helped manage the F-111 and C-5A aircraft programs, served as a delegate to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and held a top intelligence-gathering post.
Mr. Hansen returned to the General Dynamics family in 1973. He later became president of the computer company Systems Development Corp. and retired in 1986, when the business was known as Unisys.
Outside the office, Mr. Hansen enjoyed taking his children on go-carting trips. On many weekends, he brought the youngsters to the General Dynamics parking lot and helped them launch model rockets. “He was such a dedicated dad that he was leader of my (YMCA) Indian Guides troop and volunteered with the Cub Scouts,” David Hansen said.
Grant L. Hansen; 4-time World War II survivor later was aerospace executive | The San Diego Union-Tribune
Grant L. Hansen; 4-time World War II survivor
