Ansel Gould died March 11, 2010, in Washington, D.C., after a long illness.
Ansel grew up in Maplewood, N.J., and was active in Boy Scouts, becoming an Eagle Scout. He graduated from Columbia High School. At Princeton, he was in NROTC, majored in aeronautical engineering, and took his meals at Court Club. At graduation he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Ansel served in the Navy for three years, mostly in the Mediterranean, after which he returned to Princeton for graduate school, receiving a master’s degree in engineering in 1957. Ansel began his engineering career as an aircraft designer for Convair in San Diego and then in Boston. After that, he held a series of positions in the volatile military-aviation industry.
Ansel moved to the Washington suburbs and earned a second master’s degree in computer science. He spent the next 26 years, until his retirement in 1995, designing software for several government agencies. After retiring, he was likely either visiting grandchildren in Texas or summering at his Maine vacation cottage. There he introduced his grandchildren to New England summer delights such as eating lobster and climbing rugged Mount Katahdin.
Ansel is survived by his wife, Betty; his son, Robert; his daughter, Deborah Gould Pedersen; and four grandchildren.