Phil Allen Adamson was born on February 16, 1925 in Burbank to Dova and Lorene Adamson. He was an only child. Phil passed on May 26, 2018 of heart failure in Santa Monica. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Carol, and his son Scott. Phil earned a BA degree from the University of Redlands in 1946 and a MS degree in Electrical Engineering from California Institute of Technology in 1949. He began his career in digital computing and control system design at Hughes Research and Development Laboratories in Culver City.

As part of the Technical Staff at Radar Laboratory, he designed and built a computer for airborne automatic control systems - severely restricting the size and weight, while ensuring operation under extreme environmental conditions by utilizing flip-flop circuits and diode networks. He was also involved in developing and designing the logistics for several key aspects of military technology, including the Hughes MA-1 electronic guidance and fire control system. At age 29, he was promoted to Section Manager. He also had the honor of being flown on a Hughes plane to Palm Springs one afternoon to repair Howard Hughes's hearing aid. In later years, he worked in Fullerton as part of the Ground Systems Group - the world's pre-eminent supplier of air defense systems and as one of the leading makers of surface and anti-submarine systems for the Navy. He then transferred to the Radar Systems Group where he worked as a Project Manager for airborne radar systems to the F14s, F15, F18 and Stealth Bomber wherever it was deployed around the world. Phil made significant contributions to the digital computing world, especially in its initial stages. He was granted several patents for inventions, including the patent for the Electronic Digital Computer and the Digital-to-Analog Converter.  He also contributed to Astronautics for Science Teachers, a book published in 1965, writing a chapter on Computers, Communications, Controls, and Navigation Systems.

Phil retired from Hughes in 1987, but never stopped working in the field. Phil co-founded Speculative Management Corporation and invented an Electronic Coin Detector. Phil's family is extremely proud of his life's work and how his achievements advanced the cause of science and technology and improved the lives of others.

Los Angeles Times, June 3, 2018