Austin Gudmundsen

Austin Gudmundsen 1898 – 1981, Born in Lehi and gaining his early life experiences there, Austin Gudmundsen was boy with an active mind. A tender and thorough biographical sketch is given by his granddaughter Joyce Gudmundsen Richardson on her blog, www.familystoriesjoyce.blogspot.com from which I have made a few notes to include here.

He was studious, and worked hard to extend his education even at an early age. An early job was at the Lehi Sugar factory, where he assisted the chemist. This type of work must have been intriguing and lasted well into his old age when he took up stonework and lapidary crafts.

Austin attended the Rae Automotive School in Kansas City (after which he set up a garage and put himself through college at the University of Utah), the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, and took his Master degree at Carnegie Institute of Technology at Pittsburgh. Among these educational opportunities he also worked for Salt Lake City in the Smoke Abatement division and taught in the U of U engineering department.

While still in Utah he was approached by A. O. Smith Corporation of Milwaukee for their research and development division, which position he accepted after completing his course of studies at Pittsburgh.

When A.O. Smith discontinued their research Austin went ahead to start his own laboratory, Gudmundsen-Stratton Laboratories, and over several years filed a variety of patents. One item that I have not found a patent for was a method for detecting and silently tracking submarine combatants which he gave to the U.S. Navy. It was reported to him afterwards that the idea had been applied, successfully.

After time Austin joined McCullough Motors Corporation which moved their management to California, bring Austin and his family back west. They settled in Inglewood, California.

In 1921 Austin had married Myrl Goodwin, who generously, lovingly was his partner thereafter.

They were welcomed into the local LDS communities at every phase of their family life, when Austin was called for various branch, ward and stake positions. These assignments were given by such men as Heber J Grant, Marion Romney, Spencer W Kimball and David O McKay.

We see in these events a balance between the scientific and the spiritual, the thinking and the thoughtful. There was also the social. Austin and Myrl had four children, Richard A, Lois, Stanley E and Ruth, Lois passing away as a child of three.

After the years of labor in these technologies Austin ad Myrl became steadfast temple workers in the Los Angeles LDS Temple. Here they made new associations, including his cousin Alva Garff, and when they moved to Laguna Niguel Austin took up rock work, of which his grandchildren were happy recipients.

Austin passed away in 1981, followed by Myrl in 1990. They rest in Lehi, Utah.