European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 14, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse By George Eberl staff writer one bloated machine whose backside disturbingly resembles a Moonshiner s still is lovingly referred1o As Fred s Frankenstein. It is a film processor. Another Complex mechanism Aprin master bears this facetious Mes Sage this machine is for amuse ment Only. Does not pay off Para 14z, Oreor Reg 23006789." beneath this veneer of Good Humo lies a deceptively serious business the production of visual aids for . European come. Neucom s graphics division firemen with the Mission of keeping peo ple awake and Unco fused at Brief Ings turns out a prodigious amount of work daily in the forms of maps charts color transparencies of Awe some variety and High Quality manuals booklets and the like. Functionally graphics is packaged under the same roof at Patch bar Racks in Stuttgart Vaihinger with publications and reproduction. Officer in charge is army capt. William Smith. A graphics is the special Oyster of air Force m. Sgt. George Wilson Short and Lively Man who has spent All but four of his 20 service years inthe visual aids operation. Wilson and his staff of Navy drafts Man 1st class Ron Atchison air Force 1st sgt. Donald Riedel air Force . Gary Pollock and pfc. Dennis Radatz Are All considered Illustrator Sand All Are Able to handle the complicated equipment that abounds i their web of offices and cubbyhole. The amount of imagination used bythe staff varies with the specific de mands one briefer May have a definite idea of what he wants pictorial Zed while another May leave it entirely unto the graphics people. There is a heavy demand for Colo transparencies to support material Given at briefing sessions if a Congress Man shows up a briefer will request visual aids aimed at the particular in Terest area of the visiting dignitary. The graphics quintet understand ably often have to operate under a Tough deadline As requests Are submitted on Short notice. It in t unusual to get an assignment on Friday after noon for monday morning completion. A classic Case of Short order Large scale production was encountered in connection with Frelock the relocation of . Forces from France. Wilson recalled that it was three fantastic Days 72 hours during which the graphics Crew turned out from scratch some 75 slides each one of which took anywhere from 2 to 4j/&hours for what was then a six Man team. Each Man keeps a Library of clip Sand magazines and it in t to be regarded As loafing if one of the Crews spotted scanning a comic Book he is looking for an appropriate spy draw ing. Lt5lping turn out up to 15 separate projects a Day is a Battery of mod Ern machines with the Pride and Joy being the Plumpis Fred s Frankenstein Fred being pfc Fred height its keeper. It is Able with its four processor Sand nine solutions to process 800 feet of color film at a time or to develop simultaneously color negatives for 25 to 30 Rolls of 35mm film. By inserting a card the operation i triggered and 67 minutes later the processing has been completed. Said Reight it even has a card for cleaning itself. And if anything goes wrong it stops itself and rings a Bellton let you know it s in but the machine has its limitations it is unable to reproduce. Smiling Reight glanced around the Small base ment room housing the processor and remarked besides there in t summing up on the Quality Factor of the graphics division Wilson said " Neucom Deputy commander in chief David a Burchinal is an artist in his own right so a High level of Quality is expected and i think Page 12 c i r i 1 a a other waking moments aim of Neucom graphics division is to keep you awake and Unco fused. Is Schuettler m. Sgt. George Wilson checks Large transparency. The stars and stripes Navy craftsman Ron Atchison prepares illustration. Friday
