As a young orphan, Mr. Allen Polk Hemphill spent six years in military school and aspired to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy in order to make something out of his future. He decided to join the U.S. Navy, serving in the Korean War at age 17, and later attended the Academy in 1953. Mr. Hemphill graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1957, where he received a Bachelor of Science and was commissioned as an ensign. His military career included computer programming at the Naval Electronics Laboratory in San Diego, CA, and then became a systems analyst and project director of the Integrated Data System. He later qualified for Command of Submarines in the U.S. Navy. He served in the military for 23 years and promoted and retired as lieutenant commander in 1977.
After his military career, Mr. Hemphill became adept in turn-around management and excelled in various executive positions. In 1980, he founded Orion Business Systems in San Diego, CA, where he served as manager for two years. From 1982 to 1983, he served as president and chief executive officer of the KBSC-TV station in Glendale, CA, where he was responsible for the station’s profit growth from $1.9 million to $9 million. After the station was sold, he was appointed chairman of the board of directors of Oak Broadcasting Systems in Glendale. He also later received a Master of Arts in management from National University. His work in turn-around management included a computer company from the U.S. Federal Bankruptcy Court. Mr. Hemphill served as a core adjunct professor of computer science at National University in Vista, CA, for 13 years. He also received a real estate license and was notably designated as an expert witness for “real estate brokers’ values” by the Superior Court of California in 1978.
Outside of his primary management appointments, Mr. Hemphill served as a consultant, board member, and director of several organizations throughout his career. He was also previously a panelist on the TV series, “On Edge,” from 1986 to 1988. He has contributed more than 2,000 articles and columns to professional journals and chapters to books, including Community News Network, Inc., and a column for Pomerado News, which was published in Rancho Bernardo, CA, for 35 consecutive years. In recognition of his success, he received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and was named a Worldwide Humanitarian. Today, in his spare time, Mr. Hemphill enjoys reading and blogging.
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