Captain Oliver S. Reading,
the newly appointed Chief of the Division of Photogrammetry,
has a 
long
and imposing record of achievement in this field. The Meritorious
Service Award presented to him by the Department of Commerce
in February 1949 stated in part: "Captain Reading alone in this
Bureau had the vision to foresee the great advantages of the use
of aerial photographs in mapping, and by his persistence...brought
aerial photogrametric procedures more and more into use in the
Bureau. He is one of the pioneers in the field of photogrammetry
and is one of the charter members and was most instrumental in
the formation of the American Society of Photogrammetry which
now has over 1,500 members. (Captain Reading was President of
this Society in 1935, and has served on most of its committees.)
Captain Reading has followed the developments of photogrammetry
in Europe and today probably has more complete knowledge of the
methods, practices, and instruments used every where in the United
States. The State Department appointed him President of the American
Delegation that attended the meeting of the International Society
of Photogrammetry at the Hague in September 1948, and he was elected
President of that Society at the Meeting." Captain Reading has
designed much of the equipment in use in the Bureau, including
the Ruling Machine and the large precise copy camera in the Division
of Charts, and the 9-lens camera, transforming printer, rectifying
camera, and Reading Plotter in the Division of Photogrammetry.
He is now engaged in the design of a Coordinate Setting Machine
for the Air Force for use in the Aircraft Manufacturing Industry.
August
2, 1894 - April 10, 1984
Captain Oliver S. Reading was born in West Falls, New York,
and was graduated from Lane Technical High School in Chicago,
Illinois. He entered on duty with the U.S. Coast and Geodetic
Survey on July 1, 1915, and became one of the U. S. Coast and
Geodetic Survey commissioned service, predecessor of the NOAA
Corps. At the time of his retirement on September 1, 1954, Captain
Reading was Chief of Photogrammetry, Coast and Geodetic Survey.
Captain Reading's early field assignments with the U.S. Coast
and Geodetic Survey included hydrographic and geodetic surveying
along the coasts of the United States and throughout the Philippine
Islands. His sea service was continuous from 1915 to 1928. Following
this he went on to gain international recognition as an expert
in the field of photogrammetry and was a pioneer in instrument
development for this purpose. Among his major achievements was
the invention of a special 9-lens aerial camera, principally
for surveys in Alaska. He played a major role in coordinating
aerial photogrammetric procedures into the charting activities
of the Coast and Geodetic Survey. As a result of his valuable
contributions to science, he was awarded the 1947 Department
of Commerce Silver Medal for Meritorious Service.
Captain Reading was one of the principal organizers of the American
Society of Photogrammetry. He served as Chairman of the American
Delegation to the 5th International Congress on Photogrammetry
and the 6th International Congress of Surveyors in Rome during
1938.He wrote numerous papers dealing with photogrammetry. He
held membership in many scientific and technical organizations
including being a member of the council of the International
Society of Photogrammetry and was an honorary life member of
both the International and the American Societies of Photogrammetry.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, the former Martha C.
Gothard, and two children, a daughter, Martha R. Luria, and
a son, Dr. George P. Reading.
Vol
17, No 43, 10/25/49
NOAA CORPS BULLETIN, 5/1/1984
