Eugene "Gene" Head

Collection

Identifier: RHC-RC-320

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection originated on two 3 ½ inch floppy disks, which are included at the end of the collection. The documents were first written in a program that is unknown, but made legible using Microsoft Office Word 2007 and printed in their entirety. The files consist of an autobiography of Eugene “Gene” Head entitled: “In my Rear View Mirror: My Visions of the Past.” Also included is an extensive genealogy of the Head family, which traces its ancestors back to the 1700s. The genealogy was started by Clarence Head and was finished by his son, Eugene Head. Both documents were completed in 1988. Also included on the floppy disk was a document titled “List of Documents.” Included on the list were names of newspaper articles, pamphlets, certificates, and other items; however, none of these documents were on either of the disks. Also included in the collection is a file titled “Epilogue.” The document was printed as it originally appeared. A supplemental index for the Head Genealogy was created and added for the aid of researchers.

Dates

Other: Date acquired: 00/00/2011

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on access to the collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights belong to the Regional History Center; literary rights are dedicated to the public.

Biographical or Historical Information

Eugene Ralph Head, II, son of Clarence E. and Gertrude (Matthews) Head, was born May 24, 1917, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He had a younger sister, Claire. Eugene Head lived in Kenosha throughout his childhood. His father worked for the Kenosha News Publishing Company. Head first attended a private kindergarten and first grade school taught by Belle Newell, Head’s great aunt, in her home. In 1924, Head attended the Durkee School in Kenosha, and later Central Junior High School in 1930. In 1933 Head attended and graduated from Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois. Head later attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. During his time at Cornell, Eugene joined Sigma Phi Epsilon and became the rushing chairman for the fraternity. In the summer of 1939, after graduating Cornell, Head joined a Civilian Pilot Training Program in Kenosha. He ended up filling in for the instructor, and later became the third licensed ground instructor in Wisconsin. He later became a ground instructor for the U.S. Navy in Chicago and helped form the new ground school at that Naval Air Station in Glenview, Illinois. He received an Ensign Commission and was transferred to Washington D.C., Detroit, and Jacksonville. Always interested in technology of electronics, several of his early inventions included an alarm for the bathtub, a telephone, a diving helmet, and a horn alert system. Head delved in photography and had some of his photographs exhibited at Navy Pier. Head moved to St. Charles, Illinois in 1944 and became employed by the electronic firm, Operadio Manufacturing Company, later DuKane Corporation. While employed there, he made drawing for the first post-war amplifier and created a portable magnetizer for loud speakers. He also developed the Phonoscope, helped develop an automated slide system, and built a miniature transistorized cardiac monitor, eventually earning a patent for his heart monitor circuitry. At DuKane, Head was allowed to create a lab for the production and testing of equipment, eventually hiring several men to work with him. He also received a number of military contracts. Head retired in 1983. Head married Sarah Gilchrist on June 23, 1945 in Evaston Illinois. They lived in Geneva, and later divorced on July 27, 1959 in Las Vegas. They had one son, Michael Eugene Head, born June 4, 1946 in Geneva, Illinois. In 1962 Head moved to North Aurora, Illinois for eight years before moving to Aurora for two years. He returned to St. Charles, Illinois in 1972.

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