David Hutson Kittell ’57

David Hutson Kittell ’57 died on August 26, 2007, in Burlington, Vermont, from emphysema. He attended Cardigan Mountain School and Proctor Academy before spending two years at Dartmouth. Allan Vendeland ’57 writes that while they both were living in Russell Sage, Dave’s “grandmother gave him a Leica 35mm and I taught him how to use it and develop the film and print.” After Dartmouth Dave attended the New York School of Photography and in 1962 graduated with high honors from the University of Connecticut. After a brief career as a photographer Dave worked as an engineer for Time, Barnes Engineering and Perkin Elmer, and then launched his own consulting firm, Sage Systems. During his career he made equipment for NASA that traveled on the space shuttle. He also made major contributions to the Hubble space telescope, including the machine that polished the mirror. He was the father of the engineering discipline precision mechanics. He taught many courses on it and his book about it, known as “the little blue book,” continues to be an inspiration to many engineers. He held 10 patents for fine alignment and positioning mechanisms. Dave, his wife, Linda, and his beloved dogs enjoyed many summers and holidays at his cabin on Lake Eden in northern Vermont. He was a keen observer of local wildlife, which he recorded in stunning home videos. He also enjoyed traveling and had a lifelong love of music. He is survived by Linda, children Jake and Chelsea and four grandchildren.