Eldon Ziegler, MBA '64
Computer applications, army captain, Harvard alumni leadership, model trains and aircraft, drones
Eldon and his wife Fran moved to Cape Cod in 2009 from Maryland to Centerville. Previously, they had passed through the Cape on their way to Fran’s family home on Nantucket and found this area charming: well on the Cape but still accessible to Boston.
Having grown up in Illinois, Eldon looked forward to the east coast where he received a B.A. in Mathematics in 1962 from Boston University, an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School in 1964, and did graduate work in computer science at George Washington University. While it was a pleasure to have shaken the hand of President Kennedy when he landed at HBS, his assassination left an indelible sadness from that time.
Eldon had a long career in the development of computer applications, spanning over sixty years starting in 1957. Some of his projects include a business simulation used in the MBA program at HBS, work on the command-and-control system at NORAD while on active duty as an army captain, automation of the U.S. air traffic control system, weather monitoring in Switzerland, small bus scheduling (Dial-A-Ride) at the U.S. Department of Transportation, educational software at Time-Life and recently a web-based virtual classroom system used by the U. S. Army. Additionally, there have been database systems developed for the Harvard Club of Cape Cod (from which the Club prints the annual Membership Directory) and the Cape Cod Bird Club.
Eldon spent ten years on the Board of the Harvard Club of Cape Cod including serving as Vice-President for events and as President. Additionally, he served three years as a Director of the Harvard Alumni Association. As well, he served on the Board of the Cape Cod Bird Club. Other local activities include membership in the Cape Cod Technology Council and as an elected member of the Barnstable Democratic Town Committee.
His hobby interests have included model trains, model aircraft, flying drones plus robotics.
He and Fran are appreciative of their six children and many friends.