My Friend Ed

I first became aware of Ed Thelen and his Nike Missile website around 2006, while volunteering at the Nike Missile Site SF-88 in Golden Gate National Park. Fellow volunteers—many of them former Nike veterans—spoke highly of Ed and recalled his visits to the site in earlier years. Impressed by the depth and care of his work, I reached out to him by email to introduce myself.

Some years later, by coincidence, I found myself living only a few blocks from Ed in Fremont. We began carpooling to SF-88 for public tour days, a 47-mile drive each way through Bay Area traffic. During those trips we discovered many shared interests, particularly in electronics, radar, radio, and computers. Ed had served in the Nike system defending Chicago in the 1950s, while my experience came from later years protecting Los Angeles. The drives passed quickly, filled with technical discussions and reflections on life.

Ed was unfailingly cheerful, generous with his knowledge, and deeply committed to preserving history. His curiosity, optimism, and respect for people left a lasting impression on everyone he met. It is in that spirit, and in his memory, that his extensive collection of Nike Missile historical documents and stories be preserved for all to see.