James Phillips Strong, III's Obituary
Dr. James P. Strong III (November 2, 1936 - June 26, 2016)
Jim Strong was born in Baltimore, and grew up Capitol Heights. He went to Suitland High School, and attended the University of Maryland. (He would ultimately spend 16 years registered at the U of M, receiving his Ph.D in Electrical Engineering in 1971.) Professionally, Jim spent his career working with electronics and computers. He started at the Naval Research Laboratory, then went to work for NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center in 1963. He worked there until he retired in 1996. While at NASA, he designed computers--first for satellites, then to process the information the satellites send back to earth. One particular project--the MPP (Massively Parallel Processor) paved the way for multi-processor computers and the parallel processing infrastructure that can be found in today's powerful graphics cards. It now sits at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum out by Dulles Airport. He also worked on developing synthetic aperture radar technology, which allows weather satellites to see "through" clouds. His later years at NASA were spent with the Scientific Visualization Studio at Goddard. Here, he developed software to interpret the data coming from earth-orbiting research satellites, visualizing it through computer animation so that climate scientists can use the data.
But what a person does in his life professionally is seldom the entire story. Jim was also a devoted husband and father. He met his wife, Ruth, in a bowling league. Ruth and Jim's mother worked at the same hospital, and when the bowling league needed new members to fill out the teams, Jim's mother suggested he join. He saw this little 5'-nothing blonde bouncing around, and knew he had to meet her. He and Ruth were together from that moment on. Before too long, two children entered Jim's life--Linda and Kevin. Now, many kids will tell you that their parents are "the greatest," though seldom do fights break out trying to prove their point. There is no doubt, however, that Jim was a great father--a role he cherished, even when his kids did their best to try his patience. Whether it was reading Disney stories, traveling, or teaching them how to drive a stick-shift, Jim managed it without so much of a hint of despair. (Fear, perhaps, but the snow bank cushioned the impact.) He was the kind of father you pointed to when you wanted an example of an all-around good dad.
If there's one characteristic of Jim which always seems to surface no matter what, it's "creativity." Jim grew up watching Walt Disney animated movies, and developed a very early appreciation for not only the characters in the stories, but the art of animation itself. Perhaps his favorites are Bre'r Rabbit, Bre'r Fox, and Bre'r Bear from Disney's "Song of the South," and also the characters in Peter Pan. (You can make a very strong argument that in many ways, Jim never really grew up, either.) His talents for drawing and sculpting would lead him to designing sets, paintings and masks for local community theater groups (and his son's 5th grade production of "Midsummer Night's Dream.") He would take his knowledge of computers and develop his own animation software--a precursor to modern animation software--to help him with the timing of his Disney-style animation projects. Most recently, he merged his love of animation with sculpture and 3D printing technology, turning many of his ideas for cartoon characters into 3-dimensional sculptures. It would also form the foundation of his other love...Trains.
To say Jim loved trains would be like saying bears love honey. It wasn't so much a "love," as it was an identity. Jim's first memories of trains (besides his granddad working for the Baltimore & Ohio RR) were the Lionel trains that ran in the Christmas garden under his tree every year. From there, it moved to his attic, where his dad had a large oval of O gauge trains set up. Jim would go up there and push the cars around the tracks (much to his dad's consternation). While Jim's love of trains took a back seat to a love of sailing for a short time, it would come back in a big way in the late 1970s. While on vacation in England, Jim noticed a model train running outside in a display in "typical English weather." He thought that was spectacular, but figured it was something custom-built for the display. A trip to Hamley's in London would prove him wrong--the trains were sitting on the shelf begging to be purchased. Soon after, he mailed a check to his brother Bob who was stationed in England with the Air Force, with the instructions "Go to Hamley's and buy me a train." A short while later, a locomotive, three cars, and an oval of track showed up at Jim's mother's house.
Those trains would begin what is arguably Jim's greatest creative legacy, the Woodland Railway. The Woodland Railway allowed Jim to combine many different passions--a love of trains (of course), a love of the outdoors, his artistic creativity, and also his love of family. The railway was a project the entire family could get behind. Ruth enjoyed the gardening, Kevin enjoyed building and running the trains, and Linda enjoyed being bemused by everybody who came over to run trains. This symbiotic energy fed Jim's creativity, and the railway quickly took on a life and identity of its own. What began as a short length of track between two trees evolved into an icon within the hobby. Jim founded the Washington, Virginia, and Maryland Garden Railway Society in 1986, with many of the early meetings hosted at the railroad. Through numerous appearances in magazines and on TV, the Woodland Railway has inspired thousands of garden railroaders around the world.
If there's a word that is used to describe Jim more often than "creative," it's "gracious." That's a harder concept to put into words. Jim rarely did anything motivated by any sense of wanting notoriety or desiring the limelight. He never actively sought out leadership positions. He was always motivated by creativity, and using that creativity to solve problems, help, and inspire others. Even now, his workshop tables are full of projects he was doing for others--sculptures he's doing as gifts for others, or locomotives he's repairing. The Woodland Railway was built as much for others to enjoy has for his own enjoyment. He delighted in seeing others enjoy running their trains on the railroad, and was never known to refuse a visitor if his schedule allowed.
That is the legacy of Jim Strong. He is survived by his wife, two children, and two grandchildren--all of whom will continue to carry the love, creativity, and graciousness in their hearts, and strive to live Jim's legacy through their actions.
Family and friends are welcomed for a visitation on Thursday, June 30, 2016 from 2:00pm - 4:00pm and 6:00pm - 8:00pm at the Huntt Funeral Home, 3035 Old Washington Road in Waldorf.
A funeral service will be held on Friday, July 1, 2016 at 11:00am at the funeral home.
Interment will take place on Friday, July 1, 2016 at Trinity Memorial Gardens, 3221 Mattawoman Beantown Rd in Waldorf, following the funeral service.
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