Background
Alden P. Colvocoresses was born the son of George M. Colvocoresses II and Alice Hagen in Humboldt, Arizona, in 1918. He is the grandson of George Partridge Colvocoresses and the great-grandson of George Colvocoresses.
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Alden Colonel
Edit ProfileCareer
Colvocoresses was the first to realize that such a projection was needed and mathematically feasible, and in 1974 defined it geometrically as a projection that maps images from Landsat satellites, which he used to develop the first satellite map of the United States. He served in the United States Army in World World War II, in the 16th Armored Engineer Battalion of the 1st Armored Division, pulling duties in North Africa and Europe. He was twice wounded in combat and has received the Purple Heart as well as two Silver Stars, one for capturing and destroying a German Mark IV tank in Tunisia and another for escaping from Italian captors in North Africa.
Alden became involved with aerial photo mapping for the 1st Army, where he oversaw some of the photo mapping as preparation for the Doctorate-Day assault on Normandy.
He also served in the Korean War and retired after playing a large role in mapping operations during the Vietnam War. He spent the rest of his career working for the United States. Geological Survey"s national mapping division, retiring in 1990.
He was a research cartographer on the Landsat satellite program and received two patents for models of remote sensing systems He also discovered a reef in the Indian Ocean that was subsequently named for him.
After leaving the Army, Alden was a pioneer in satellite mapping techniques, including the Space-oblique Mercator projection that maps images from Landsat satellites, which he used to develop the first satellite map of the United States.
On May 8, 2005 Colvocoresses gave his great-great-niece, Gretchen Herrboldt Hahn, graduate of NU 2005, the commissioning oath as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States. Army. Alden is the brother of Gretchen"s maternal great-great grandmother and a key link in a military family whose roots are entwined deep in the Norwich tradition. He died March 27, 2007 at Inova Fairfax Hospital.
He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Achievements
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Born
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Died
March 27, 2007 (aged 88) -
Nationality
United States
Awards
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Purple Heart; Silver Star Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed, while serving, on or after April 5, 1917, with the U.S. military.The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed, while serving, on or after April 5, 1917, with the U.S. military.