Phil Konstantin
Encyclopedia
Phil Konstantin is American, and also a citizen of the Cherokee Nation
. While his legal name is Morris Phillip Konstantin, he has always gone by the name of Phil Konstantin. He was one of the computer operators who ran the IBM 360, model 75J computers at NASA
during the Apollo 16
and Apollo 17
moon landings. He has been a TV reporter and the author of, or contributor to, several books (see Publications below).
in 1952. His parents are Morris Benjamin Konstantin, Jr, and Lila Beatrice Adair. His family (parents and younger brothers Michael and Milton) moved from Houston to Pasadena, Texas
in 1961. While in high school, he attended both Sam Rayburn
and Pasadena High School
s. He received training in computer systems at Pasadena High, and general education at Sam Rayburn. Graduating in 1971 with a 3.678 (unweighted) grade point average, he was a member of Mu Alpha Theta
(National Math Honor Society), and lettered in Choir.
Attended Rice University
, Houston, Texas - 1975—1977. Attended San Diego State University
, San Diego, California - 1989—1991 Graduating with a B.A. in Political Science (Dean's List once). Konstantin was listed in Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges in 1977 (Rice) and 1991 (SDSU).
Electronics at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. During his two-and-a-half years at NASA, he operated computers (IBM 360, model 75J) and peripheral equipment directly related to the last two Apollo flights, and all four Skylab
missions. This was in the Real Time Computer Complex directly below the Mission Operations Control Room. At one point, he was the youngest person working in Mission Control.
Between 1973 and 1979, Konstantin produced and hosted weekly public affairs radio programs through the Houston and Pasadena Jaycees. These thirty and 60 minute programs were played on several radio stations, including KULF
, KYND
, KIKK
, KILT
AND KTRH. He also had a daily talk-show on KPAC radio. In 1977, he started a 15 minute interview program for Rice University
(titled "To The Point") which was syndicated through the Texas State Network
. During this time period, he also had a small, on-screen part in the movie "Futureworld." While he initially had a few speaking lines, his speaking parts were edited out of the movie.
In 1985 Konstantin joined the California Highway Patrol
as an officer. His first year-and-a-half were in Los Angeles. He then patrolled the roads of San Diego until 1990. During his time as a patrol officer, he was shot at by some kidnappers. No one was hurt in the incident, and the man who was kidnapped was found. He also received several of the CHP's 10851 Auto Theft Awards. In 1989, Mothers Against Drunk Driving
honored him for his efforts to remove impaired drivers from the roads. In 1990 he moved into the Public Affairs Department for the CHP's Border Division. Here he helped organize educational campaigns, wrote speeches for CHP management and did on-air interviews for the media. In 1997, he took over the position of Media Information Officer at the newly constructed Transportation Management Center. Here he answered media inquiries and did daily radio and TV traffic reports on KGTV-TV. One of his other projects at the CHP was to create puzzles which officers could give to children. One of these puzzles is in the CHP's Chipper Coloring Book.
Upon retirement from the CHP in 2005, "Officer Phil", as he is known, started doing daily traffic reports as part of the Good Morning San Diego program at KUSI-TV
. He often took photos of the famous people who were on the program, and posted them on a special website. He was on-the-air until October 2009, when he became the Assignment Editor.
On June 7, 2010, he became the helicopter-based reporter for KGTV-TV. Some of his video reports have been used nationally on ABC
's Good Morning America
and ABC World News and ESPN
(Cruise ship towed back to San Diego; Sea World Orca dies, Escondido Bomb House burned; San Diego flooding 12/2010; etc.).
In the early 1970s, the city of Pasadena only allowed people to become candidates for public office if they paid a filing fee. Phil felt that other, non-monetary methods (such as petitions), should also be allowed. He filed a suit against the city. On February 7, 1973, the U.S. Federal Court in Houston declared Pasadena's filing fee requirement to be unconstitutional. The ruling suggested candidates be allowed access to the ballot by paying a fee, filing a petition, or declaring themselves to be paupers.
In the mid 1970s, he served on the Library Board for the Pasadena Texas Public Library. His name appears on the dedication plaque on Pasadena's main library building. He was also on the Board of Directors for the Pasadena Jaycees during this time.
Phil is one of the founding members of the San Diego Cherokee Community.
Presently, he serves on the Education and Exhibits Committee at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
in San Diego.
On June 5, 2009, "Officer Phil" had his foot-long ponytail cut off on live TV. He donated it to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program to make wigs for people undergoing chemotherapy.
. He is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation.
In 1971, he married Sandra Kay Lewis. In 1972, his first child, Ronald Parker Konstantin was born. A few years later, Phil and Sandra divorced.
In 1980, he married Deanna Lynn Chambers and moved to California. Deanna already had a daughter, Heidi Lynn Chambers. In 1981, Phil and Deanna had a child named Sarah Beth Nicole Konstantin. The marriage ended in a divorce in 1985.
In 1997, Phil married his long-time friend, Robyn Amsel Mellon. Robyn died in a vehicle collision on April 6, 1999 when she fell asleep behind the wheel. Phil worked Very hard to establish April 6 as Drowsy Driver Awareness Day in California.
Phil's son Ron lives in Abilene, Texas. His daughters Heidi and Sarah both live with him in San Diego.
His daughter Sarah had a daughter named Jazlyn Rose on February 18, 2010. This is his first grandchild.
Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It was established in the 20th century, and includes people descended from members of the old Cherokee Nation who relocated voluntarily from the Southeast to Indian Territory and Cherokees who...
. While his legal name is Morris Phillip Konstantin, he has always gone by the name of Phil Konstantin. He was one of the computer operators who ran the IBM 360, model 75J computers at NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
during the Apollo 16
Apollo 16
Young and Duke served as the backup crew for Apollo 13; Mattingly was slated to be the Apollo 13 command module pilot until being pulled from the mission due to his exposure to rubella through Duke.-Backup crew:...
and Apollo 17
Apollo 17
Apollo 17 was the eleventh and final manned mission in the American Apollo space program. Launched at 12:33 a.m. EST on December 7, 1972, with a three-member crew consisting of Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 remains the...
moon landings. He has been a TV reporter and the author of, or contributor to, several books (see Publications below).
Early life
Phil was born in Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
in 1952. His parents are Morris Benjamin Konstantin, Jr, and Lila Beatrice Adair. His family (parents and younger brothers Michael and Milton) moved from Houston to Pasadena, Texas
Pasadena, Texas
Pasadena is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Harris County, 17th-largest in Texas, and 162nd largest in the United States. The area was founded in 1893 by John H. Burnett of Galveston....
in 1961. While in high school, he attended both Sam Rayburn
Sam Rayburn High School
Sam Rayburn High School is a public high school located in Pasadena, Texas in the United States. The school is a part of the Pasadena Independent School District.The mission of Sam Rayburn is to provide a supportive, ethical, academic environment in which students acquire the intellectual, social...
and Pasadena High School
Pasadena High School (Pasadena, Texas)
Pasadena High School is a secondary school in Pasadena, Texas.Pasadena High School, which serves grades 9 through 12, is part of the Pasadena Independent School District. The school had 2300 students during the 2009-2010 school year....
s. He received training in computer systems at Pasadena High, and general education at Sam Rayburn. Graduating in 1971 with a 3.678 (unweighted) grade point average, he was a member of Mu Alpha Theta
Mu Alpha Theta
Mu Alpha Theta is a United States mathematics honor society for high schools and two-year colleges. It has over 89,000 student members in more than 1,800 schools worldwide. Its main goals are to inspire keen interest in mathematics, develop strong scholarship in the subject, and promote the...
(National Math Honor Society), and lettered in Choir.
Attended Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
, Houston, Texas - 1975—1977. Attended San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
, San Diego, California - 1989—1991 Graduating with a B.A. in Political Science (Dean's List once). Konstantin was listed in Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges in 1977 (Rice) and 1991 (SDSU).
Career
In 1972, Konstantin started working for LockheedLockheed Corporation
The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
Electronics at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. During his two-and-a-half years at NASA, he operated computers (IBM 360, model 75J) and peripheral equipment directly related to the last two Apollo flights, and all four Skylab
Skylab
Skylab was a space station launched and operated by NASA, the space agency of the United States. Skylab orbited the Earth from 1973 to 1979, and included a workshop, a solar observatory, and other systems. It was launched unmanned by a modified Saturn V rocket, with a mass of...
missions. This was in the Real Time Computer Complex directly below the Mission Operations Control Room. At one point, he was the youngest person working in Mission Control.
Between 1973 and 1979, Konstantin produced and hosted weekly public affairs radio programs through the Houston and Pasadena Jaycees. These thirty and 60 minute programs were played on several radio stations, including KULF
KULF
KULF is an AM daytimer radio station based in Bellville, Texas broadcasting a Spanish music format known as "Radio Luz". Licensed to Bellville, Texas, USA, in the Victoria, Texas area. The station is currently owned by JHT Ventures, Inc....
, KYND
KYND
KYND is a brokered time radio station in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. KYND is owned by Pro Broadcasting, Inc. The station is leased and currently airs an English language service from China Radio International....
, KIKK
KIKK
KIKK is a daytime-only station in the Houston, Texas area and broadcasts a news/talk radio format under ownership of CBS Radio. Despite different owners, KIKK and KHOU-TV maintain a strong partnership ....
, KILT
KILT
KILT may refer to:* KILT-FM, a radio station licensed to Houston, Texas, United States* KILT , a radio station licensed to Houston, Texas, United States...
AND KTRH. He also had a daily talk-show on KPAC radio. In 1977, he started a 15 minute interview program for Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
(titled "To The Point") which was syndicated through the Texas State Network
Texas State Network
The Texas State Network is the largest of the 30 state radio networks in the United States. TSN mainly distributes news and agriculture business to more than 130 AM and FM radio affiliates across Texas.-History:...
. During this time period, he also had a small, on-screen part in the movie "Futureworld." While he initially had a few speaking lines, his speaking parts were edited out of the movie.
In 1985 Konstantin joined the California Highway Patrol
California Highway Patrol
The California Highway Patrol is a law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and also acts as the state police....
as an officer. His first year-and-a-half were in Los Angeles. He then patrolled the roads of San Diego until 1990. During his time as a patrol officer, he was shot at by some kidnappers. No one was hurt in the incident, and the man who was kidnapped was found. He also received several of the CHP's 10851 Auto Theft Awards. In 1989, Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Mothers Against Drunk Driving is a non-profit organization in the United States that seeks to stop drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and overall push for stricter alcohol policy...
honored him for his efforts to remove impaired drivers from the roads. In 1990 he moved into the Public Affairs Department for the CHP's Border Division. Here he helped organize educational campaigns, wrote speeches for CHP management and did on-air interviews for the media. In 1997, he took over the position of Media Information Officer at the newly constructed Transportation Management Center. Here he answered media inquiries and did daily radio and TV traffic reports on KGTV-TV. One of his other projects at the CHP was to create puzzles which officers could give to children. One of these puzzles is in the CHP's Chipper Coloring Book.
Upon retirement from the CHP in 2005, "Officer Phil", as he is known, started doing daily traffic reports as part of the Good Morning San Diego program at KUSI-TV
KUSI-TV
KUSI-TV, virtual channel 51.1, is an independent television station based in San Diego, California. The station is owned and operated by Channel 51 of San Diego, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of McKinnon Broadcasting...
. He often took photos of the famous people who were on the program, and posted them on a special website. He was on-the-air until October 2009, when he became the Assignment Editor.
On June 7, 2010, he became the helicopter-based reporter for KGTV-TV. Some of his video reports have been used nationally on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
and ABC World News and ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
(Cruise ship towed back to San Diego; Sea World Orca dies, Escondido Bomb House burned; San Diego flooding 12/2010; etc.).
Civic life
In 1971, he was a member of the Houston Symphony Chorale.In the early 1970s, the city of Pasadena only allowed people to become candidates for public office if they paid a filing fee. Phil felt that other, non-monetary methods (such as petitions), should also be allowed. He filed a suit against the city. On February 7, 1973, the U.S. Federal Court in Houston declared Pasadena's filing fee requirement to be unconstitutional. The ruling suggested candidates be allowed access to the ballot by paying a fee, filing a petition, or declaring themselves to be paupers.
In the mid 1970s, he served on the Library Board for the Pasadena Texas Public Library. His name appears on the dedication plaque on Pasadena's main library building. He was also on the Board of Directors for the Pasadena Jaycees during this time.
Phil is one of the founding members of the San Diego Cherokee Community.
Presently, he serves on the Education and Exhibits Committee at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center is a science museum in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. Established in 1973, it was the first science museum to combine interactive science exhibits with a planetarium and an IMAX Dome theater, setting the standard that most major science museums follow today...
in San Diego.
On June 5, 2009, "Officer Phil" had his foot-long ponytail cut off on live TV. He donated it to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program to make wigs for people undergoing chemotherapy.
Personal life
Phil Konstantin has mixed European and American Indian ancestry. Through his mother's side of the family, he is CherokeeCherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
. He is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation.
In 1971, he married Sandra Kay Lewis. In 1972, his first child, Ronald Parker Konstantin was born. A few years later, Phil and Sandra divorced.
In 1980, he married Deanna Lynn Chambers and moved to California. Deanna already had a daughter, Heidi Lynn Chambers. In 1981, Phil and Deanna had a child named Sarah Beth Nicole Konstantin. The marriage ended in a divorce in 1985.
In 1997, Phil married his long-time friend, Robyn Amsel Mellon. Robyn died in a vehicle collision on April 6, 1999 when she fell asleep behind the wheel. Phil worked Very hard to establish April 6 as Drowsy Driver Awareness Day in California.
Phil's son Ron lives in Abilene, Texas. His daughters Heidi and Sarah both live with him in San Diego.
His daughter Sarah had a daughter named Jazlyn Rose on February 18, 2010. This is his first grandchild.
See also
- List of writers from peoples indigenous to the Americas
- Native American StudiesNative American StudiesNative American Studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that examines the history, culture, politics, issues and contemporary experience of Native peoples in North America, or, taking a hemispheric approach, the Americas...