White Sands Missile Range Hall of Fame

Mr. Wayne H. Roemersberger was born June 9, 1909 in Deer Creek, Illinois. He attended high school in Deer Creek, graduating in 1927, and then earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1933. He then studied electronics at Bradley University and earned a master’s degree in engineering from New Mexico State University while working at White Sands.

Mr. Roemersberger’s influence at White Sands actually began while he was still with the Ballistic Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland during World War II. There he worked on the development of the ballistic camera and the Doppler positioning system. The ballistic camera is still one of the most accurate tools used for determining, after a test, where a missile was at a given time during its flight. He also supervised the installation of the Doppler system at White Sands Where it was used to precisely determine a missile’s acceleration and velocity.

In September 1946 Mr. Roemersberger moved to White Sands as the technical representative of the Ballistic Research Laboratory’s Measurement Branch. He supervised 40 employees and coordinated the efforts of 130. In 1948 he was promoted to the position of Technical Director of the White Sands Annex for the Ballistic Research Laboratory.

Other jobs for Mr. Roemersberger included chief of the Technical Service Unit of the Flight Determination Laboratory and, later, chief of the Programming Office of the Integrated Range Mission. During this time he located and helped establish many of the early instrumentation sites and support facilities at the range. He provided close liaison between the Ballistic Research Laboratory and the range, and was a key person in recruiting and hiring many of the early range engineers and technicians.

In 1948 Mr. Roemersberger proposed that the government fund classes at New Mexico State University for White Sands engineers and technicians. It was approved and classes began in 1949. The missile range continues to work closely with the university that now offers a large selection of classes on post for residents and employees.

Mr. Roemersberger transferred to Holloman Air Force Base and the High Speed Test Track in 1956. He retired from Holloman in 1970 after 27 years of federal service.

He died in March 1973.