This is an edited transcript of an oral history interview of John (Jack) C. Duffendack conducted by Peter J. Westwick, William Deverell, and Sherman Mullin. Topics covered in the interview include: model airplanes and early interest in aviation; effects of WWII; relation between civil and military aircraft; computer aided design; security clearances and classification; staff demographics; Skunk Works; Institute of Aeronautical Sciences. John (Jack) Duffendack was born January 4, 1914 in Independence, MO. He was raised and attended high school in Bartlesville, OK, and then attended the University of Michigan, receiving degrees in aeronautical and mechanical engineering. He then moved to California in 1937 to work for Lockheed, where he rose to the position of chief engineer for administration. In his 37-year career he worked on many airplane designs, including the Lockheed Model 14 and its derivative the Hudson, the P-38, the Constellation, the Constitution, the turboprop Electra and its derivative the P-3, and the C-130 Hercules. He retired from Lockheed in 1974. He died August 8, 2008. [Object file name], Aerospace Oral History Project, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
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