News

Mildenhall civilian goes 'Back to the Future'

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Clark Staehle
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  "Back to the drawing board."

For most people, that phrase is a cue to start over, but for Gary Rogers, it's business as usual.

Gary, a Ministry of Defence employee with the 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs office, is a graphic artist whose career has led him from designing wiring diagrams for sports cars to producing graphics for posters and RAF Mildenhall's public Web site.

During the early '80s, the Littleport, England, native applied for and got a job working for De Lorean Motor Company, illustrating components for the DMC-12, a car that would later take its place in pop culture. The DMC-12 was later featured in the "Back to the Future" movies during that same decade.

There, Gary's job was to help design the car's parts. He worked hand-in-hand with the design draftsmen, who were tasked with sorting out how a given number of parts would fit into a certain area.

It was his responsibility to take the two-dimensional technical drawings the draftsmen threw his way and turn them into three-dimensional illustrations, which helped give the designers a better idea of whether the components would work once they were installed in the car.

"I was the electrical illustrator, which consisted of drawing electrical components and wiring for the De Lorean," he said. "You just don't realize in terms of developing a car like that, how much work goes into things like that. You tend to take these things for granted - the electrical components have all got to be hooked up and tested. And yet they've all got to be chased and fed throughout the car, and someone's got to decide where they go."

Ultimately, his illustrations helped ensure the De Lorean's electrical system garnered U.S. legal and safety certifications.

"It was cool to know that we were having some part in the bigger scheme of things," he said. "It was fascinating being near the prototypes at the very early stages of development."

Working inside the development hangar, the illustrator was given a behind-the-scenes view into everything that goes into researching and developing a car designed and built for the mass market.

Several times the engineers were sent back to the drawing board, Gary said. After testing the car in the desert, they learned the car's finish reflected the sun's glare into the eyes of other drivers. Designers also found that if the car was flipped on its roof, the gull-wing doors would preclude passengers from escaping. That was resolved by adding the car's window-within-a-window design: the larger window could be kicked out while still giving passengers the option of rolling down their windows.

Gary's hand in developing the De Lorean went beyond carrying out the brainstorms of the development team. Several times he put his hands on the car and sat in it. The design team tried to develop a car that would accommodate all types of body builds, and they called on Gary's lanky frame to help them fit the steering wheel and seats in the car.

At the time the car had rather humble beginnings -- Gary had no idea what he was about to be part of.

Many Britons were critical of the car and its creator from the beginning.

"Interestingly enough, I suppose that because I was involved in the early stages of it, the only kind of feedback you got was in the national newspapers at the time," Gary said. "The big thing was John DeLorean himself and where he got his money from and why the car was being paid for with British tax pounds. That was a big issue.

"The De Lorean didn't create as much of a buzz as it probably should have, but looking back on it, I wish I would've paid a little bit more attention to what was going on."

In 1976, Gary left school and spent four years at Wisbech College in a technical graphics accreditation program. Working at De Lorean was the first job Gary had after getting his certification. Although he honed his graphics skills at DMC straight out of college, his love for the profession began long before. He's been an artist almost as long as he can remember.

"I suppose from a very young age I'd always taken a very keen interest in art," he said as he leaned back in his chair. "I've always liked to draw -- without a doubt it's something I've always been good at and something I was certainly always quite interested to pursue as a career."

Gary fell into the job at DMC after two employees, who were also former classmates, recommended him for the job.

"I went along to have a chat with them and the next thing I know, I'm employed by these guys," he said. "It was a contract, basically, because of the nature of the work," "I didn't know how long it would be for, and neither did they, really, because it was an on-going thing.

"This was my first job, I was quite anxious about that," he said with a grin. "It was the first time I'd really been away from home."

Although he enjoyed working on the De Lorean, the job ended up having an unexpected fringe benefit.

"I was probably more interested initially in what was being developed next door," Gary said.

The work was being carried out at Lotus Cars, in Norfolk, and shared the same development hangar Lotus was using for several cars. Two of the cars, both Lotus Esprits, were used in the James Bond films For Your Eyes Only and The Spy Who Loved Me.

"While I was there, they were developing the Lotus Essex in the same hangar," Gary said. "I'd go and have a little coffee break and have a walk down to the development hangar and have a nose around."

The Essex was a special edition of the brand's storied Esprit.

Eventually, it was time for him to seek other means of employment.

"I moved on because a more secure job came up with the Ministry of Defence," he said.

The technical illustrations Gary drew while he was at De Lorean provided him opportunities to express his individuality, he said. There's an incredible amount of information that designers have to take into account to produce their final product, like the view, shading and thickness of lines. Most graphic artists eventually end up developing their own style and flair.

"The guys I worked with, they could pull out their illustrations, and we could name who did each of them," he said. "It's just like an artist's painting. People don't realize that with technical illustrations because they all look the same to everyone else. More often than not, you can put your finishing touches on them and make them more individualized."

Gary is one of those people who is fortunate enough to not only love his job, but to be passionate about it.

"Obviously from an early age I've enjoyed drawing and there's something quite special about taking a two-dimensional aspect and producing a three-dimensional drawing that people can instantly recognize," he said. "There's a tremendous amount of creativity involved."

And that creativity is just one of the things that impress Gary's coworkers.

"He's just an excellent hands-on artist," said Alan McGahey, with Document Automation and Production Service here. Mr. McGahey was formerly the NCO in charge of the graphics section where Gary works. The two were coworkers for about three years.

"He can draw free-hand, and for a while he was even having sessions with us to try to improve our free-hand drawing," he said. "He'd set up objects on the floor and we'd sit there and try to draw it, and then we'd move to another angle and draw it so the shadowing was different. I was a graphic artist for the Air Force for 21 years, but freehand work? I have problems with stick figures. Gary was like Rembrandt compared to what I could do. He's got a God-given ability to draw and sketch."

Mr. McGahey also said that one of the things that made Gary so easy to get along with was his sense of humor.

One year for Mr. McGahey's birthday, Gary used his graphics skills to create a fake gift certificate for him, good for a free meal at a local pub. The coupon looked so authentic that Mr. McGahey tried to redeem it during an office lunch.

"They're all standing back there laughing at me," he said, chuckling. "Gary got me good with that one. He still brings it up today."

His fascination with the arts transcends more than just drawings and sketches --he's also enjoys music. His interest lies mostly with classic rock; most of his coworkers would agree he'd give any Led Zeppelin fan a run for his or her money. He's seen them in concert, and even had the chance to catch Pink Floyd's performance of The Wall.

Gary does consider himself lucky to have had a charmed career thus far.

"A lot of people say, 'Oh gosh, you do graphics. That must be so cool -- you get to draw every day!' -- and like a little kid, I suppose, it was a lot of fun; it was fun."

And so for now, it's back to the drawing board.

(Editor's note: Branching out into journalism after his career field's recent merger with public affairs, Gary recently garnered a first place award in U.S. Air Forces in Europe's media contest for sports writing, as well as taking the first place award for a graphic.)