Growing up, Jim Tuey couldn’t wait to graduate from Burroughs High School and get out of Ridgecrest. Now five years after graduating from college, he can’t imagine living or working anywhere else.

“When I went off to college, I had no clue about what I really wanted to do,” Jim said. “All I knew is that I didn’t want to be in Ridgecrest. I decided when I left high school, I was never coming back here, and I was never going to work for the government, and I was never going to buy a house here. And, I’ve already done all three.”

In August, Jim received a five-year pin for government service during the same ceremony that his father, Sam, received his 35-year pin.

“After 35 years, I still enjoy tremendously the work that I am doing,” Sam said. “Sometimes I’m surprised at how much I enjoy the work and that they pay me for it.”

Sam graduated from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo and started working at China Lake in the former Junior Professional Program in April 1972. He remained in his home code for about a year before moving into what was then the Long Range Missile Fuze Branch, where he stayed for the next 34 years with almost the same group of people.

“We went through a few name changes and some reorganization within the branch, but most of the people stayed the same,” Sam said. “The people that I work with are like my family too.”

Thirty years after his father graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in engineering, Jim also graduated from San Luis Obispo with the same degree.

“I thought electronics engineering worked out for my father, so I figured it could work out for me as well,” Jim said. “Turns out, I really enjoy it.”

Throughout his years at Cal Poly, Jim had successful internships with several large private companies. It just happened that Jim didn’t have any plans during his last summer in college and decided to come home to Ridgecrest where he landed an internship in the Signal Processing and Controls Branch.

“It was then that I realized this is the best work experience I’ve ever had,” Jim said. “One thing I’ve noticed at China Lake is that your career is really what you want to make of it.”

Currently, Jim is working on the Spike missile, a new and emerging weapon conceived and developed at China Lake. He was working on the guidance electronics for Spike, the smallest guided missile in the world at 25 inches long, 2.25 inch diameter, and 5.3 pounds. Now Jim has been tasked with designing the weapons management suite for the next Spike demonstration.

“It’s really nice that he works here, and it’s great to have him close,” Sam said. “I’m surprised that he came back. It was the work that got him, like it was the work that got me.”

“That and the people,” Jim added. “I don’t really see myself moving from here anytime soon.”

Sam and Jim recognized that they are probably not the only father and son who work at Weapons Division. But it may be pretty hard to find another father and son who graduated from the same school with the same degree, who work in the same field, at China Lake, in the Michelson Lab complex, and who share the same passion for the their work and the people they get to work with on a daily basis.

During his years at China Lake, Sam has seen the work he’s done on fusing make it out to the fleet and put into real use.

“I know that the service time for some of the products we’ve built is about 20 to 30 years,” Sam said. “To me that’s significant, like I’ve really done something to help the warfighter.”

When Jim graduated from high school, his father gave him two options – join the military or go to college.

“Even though I’m not in the service, I feel like I’m making a contribution to my country,” Jim said. “I feel a great sense of accomplishment, especially working on a project like Spike. Aside from paying taxes, there’s more than one way to support the warfighter.”

PHOTO CUTLINE

Photo by John Perrige

Sam Tuey, right, celebrates with his son, Jim, following a recent ceremony during which both earned government length of service pins. Sam, with 35 years of service, and Jim with five, are both electronics engineers working in the Michelson Lab complex.