Into Stability

Walter R. Evans and the Story of Root Locus (Color Interior Edition)

By: Gregory Walter Evans, Robert Hamilton Cannon (Foreword by)

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Hardcover | 14 November 2025

At a Glance

Hardcover
232 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
25.4 x 17.78 x 1.91

Hardcover

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In 1950, a young engineer named Walter R. Evans introduced a revolutionary graphical method for analyzing feedback control systems. His paper, "Control System Synthesis by Root Locus Method," transformed the practice of control engineering and became one of the most influential contributions in the history of the field.

In Into Stability, Walter's son, Gregory Walter Evans-himself an engineer-tells the untold story behind that breakthrough. Drawing on family archives, correspondence, and rare photos from aerospace history, Evans reconstructs the inventive process that led from wartime analog computers to the elegant logic of Root Locus. He reveals how his father's inventive spirit was shaped by mentors at Washington University in St. Louis, by the entrepenurial environment at North American Aviation, and by a lifetime devoted to clarity, precision, and education.

The book follows Walter Evans through the founding of The Spirule Company, the enterprise that brought his invention into classrooms and laboratories worldwide, and explores how the Root Locus method continues to guide modern control design-from aircraft and missiles to robotics and medical systems.

Part biography, part history of technology, and part personal memoir, Into Stability captures the human side of engineering creativity-the curiosity, discipline, and humility that define real innovation. More than a chronicle of one man's achievement, it is a portrait of a generation of engineers who shaped the modern world through insight and perseverance.

Industry Reviews

John Doyle, Professor of Control and Dynamical Systems at Caltech

"This is a wonderful book about a giant of classical control who inspired me as an undergrad at MIT. Reading this book reminds me of what I missed in knowing the methods but not the man."

Don Evans, Former United States Secretary of Commerce

"Fueled by a passion for lifelong learning, teaching, and love of country, Uncle Walter was one of America's most impactful engineers."

David A. Peters, McDonnell Douglas Prof of Eng'ing, WashU in St. Louis

"This is the fascinating story of Walt Evans, the man who invented the Root Locus design tool -- and changed the world. We would not have made it to the moon without this methodology, which is still in common use today. This book is a must-read for anyone with interest in the history of technology and in the human stories behind it."

Richard Murray, Professor of Control and Dynamical Systems at Caltech

"Greg Evans tells the fascinating story of his father, Walter Evans, whose development of the root locus method transformed control engineering. foundational ideas to the clever "spirule" tool, this book captures the blend of insight and ingenuity that shaped the field."

Qimin Yang, Professor of Engineering at Harvey Mudd College

"This book provides an intimate memory of Evans' life and his invention, his deep connections to people in academia and industry, and the critical impact of his work in the post war aerospace industry. I"

Shalom Ruben, Teaching Professor of Mech. Eng'ring at Univ. of Colorado

"The son of Walter Evans weaves a compelling history of a 1948 transformation in control engineering that remains a cornerstone of engineering education and practice today. This is a story of how family, teachers, and colleagues created an environment that nurtured the critical thinking needed to bring such an out-of-the-box idea to the world.

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