Janice Voss (1956 - 2012)

Janice Voss graduated from Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, in 1972. She earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Purdue University while working on a co-op at the Johnson Space Center. She earned an S.M. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT in 1977. After studying space physics at Rice University from […]

David Walker (1944 - 2001)

David Walker graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland and subsequently received flight training from the Naval Air Training Command at bases in Florida, Mississippi, and Texas. He was designated a Naval Aviator in December 1967 and proceeded to Naval Air Station Miramar, California, for assignment to F-4 Phantoms aboard the aircraft carriers […]

Donald Williams (1942 - 2016)

Selected by NASA in January 1978, Donald Williams became an astronaut in August 1979, qualified for assignment as a pilot on future Space Shuttle flight crews. Since then he has had various support assignments, including working at the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL) as a test pilot, and at the Kennedy Space Center participating in […]

Jack Swigert (1931 - 1982)

After unsuccessfully applying for NASA’s second and third astronaut selections, Jack Swigert was accepted into the NASA Astronaut Corps as part of NASA Astronaut Group 5 in April 1966. Swigert became a specialist on the Apollo Command Module: he was one of the few astronauts who requested to be command module pilots. Jack Swigert was one […]

Stuart Roosa (1933 - 1994)

Stuart Roosa began his career as a smokejumper with the U.S. Forest Service, dropping into at least four active fires in Oregon and California during the 1953 fire season. He was a graduate of the Aviation Cadet Program at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, where he received his flight training commission in the U.S. Air […]

Edgar Mitchell (1930 - 2016)

Edgar Mitchell was selected to be an astronaut in 1966 and was seconded from the Navy to NASA. He was designated as backup Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 10, and served as Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 14, landing aboard the Lunar Module “Antares” in the hilly upland Fra Mauro Highlands region. For two days, […]

Ronald Evans (1933 - 1990)

Ronald Evans was one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966. He served as a member of the astronaut support crews for the Apollo 7 and Apollo 11 flights, and as backup Command Module Pilot for Apollo 14. Evans’ first and only space flight was as Command Module Pilot of Apollo 17, the […]

Donn Eisele (1930 - 1987)

Donn Eisele was part of NASA’s third group of astronauts, selected in October 1963. In early 1966, Eisele was quietly selected as Pilot for the Apollo 1 crew, along with Command Pilot Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom and Senior Pilot Edward H. White. But after dislocating his shoulder twice during training, Eisele was replaced with Roger […]

Gordon Cooper (1927 - 2004)

While at Edwards, Gordon Cooper was intrigued to read an announcement saying that a contract had been awarded to McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis, Missouri, to build a space capsule. Shortly after this he was called to Washington, D.C., for a NASA briefing on Project Mercury and the part astronauts would play in it. Cooper […]

Pete Conrad (1930 - 1999)

Pete Conrad joined NASA as part of the second group of astronauts, known as the New Nine, on September 17, 1962. Regarded as one of the best pilots in the group, he was among the first of his group to be assigned a Gemini mission. As pilot of Gemini 5 he, along with his commander […]

David Brown (1956 - 2003)

David Brown joined the U.S. Navy after his internship at the Medical University of South Carolina. Upon completion of flight surgeon training in 1984, he reported to the Navy Branch Hospital in Adak, Alaska, as Director of Medical Services. He was then assigned to Carrier Air Wing Fifteen which deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS […]

Kalpana Chawla (1962 - 2003)

In 1988, Kalpana Chawla began working at the NASA Ames Research Center, where she did Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) research on Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing concepts. In 1993, she joined Overset Methods, Inc. as Vice President and Research Scientist specializing in simulation of moving multiple body problems. Chawla held a Certificated Flight Instructor rating for […]

Michael Anderson (1959 - 2003)

Michael Anderson graduated from the University of Washington in 1981 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. After completing a year of technical training at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, he was assigned to Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. At Randolph he served as Chief of Communication Maintenance for the 2015th […]

Ilan Ramon (1954 - 2003)

Ilan Ramon was a Colonel (Aluf Mishne) and a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, with thousands of hours of flying experience. In 1974, he graduated as a fighter pilot from the Israel Air Force (IAF) Flight School. From 1974–76 he participated in A-4 Basic Training and Operations. 1976–80 was spent in Mirage III-C […]

Rick Husband (1957 - 2003)

After graduating from Texas Tech University, Rick Husband was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and attended pilot training at Vance Air Force Base (AFB) in Oklahoma. He finished his training there in October 1981, and was assigned to F-4 Phantom II training at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida. […]

Laurel Clark (1961 - 2003)

During medical school Laurel Clark did active duty training with the Diving Medicine Department at the United States Navy Experimental Diving Unit in March 1987. After completing medical school, Clark underwent postgraduate medical education in pediatrics from 1987 to 1988 at the National Naval Medical Center. The following year she completed Navy undersea medical officer […]

James Irwin (1930 - 1991)

James Irwin was one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966. He served as a member of the astronaut support crew for Apollo 10, the first mission to carry the full Apollo stack to the Moon and the dry run for the first manned Moon landing. He then served as backup Lunar […]

Donald Slayton (1924 - 1993)

In 1959, Donald Slayton was one of 110 military test pilots selected by their commanding officers as candidates for the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Project Mercury, the first U.S. manned space flight program. Following a gruelling series of physical and psychological tests, NASA selected Slayton to be one of the original group […]

Judith Resnik (1949 - 1986)

Judith Resnik was born in 1949 to Sarah and Marvin, an optometrist, in Akron, Ohio. Both her parents were Jewish immigrants from Ukraine. A graduate of Firestone High School in 1966, she excelled in mathematics and played classical piano. While at Firestone she achieved a perfect SAT score, the only female to do so that […]

Gregory Jarvis (1944 - 1986)

While pursuing his master’s degree at Northeastern, Gregory Jarvis worked at Raytheon in Bedford, Massachusetts, where he was involved in circuit design on the SAM-D missile. In July 1969, he entered active duty in the U.S. Air Force and was assigned to the Space Division in El Segundo, California. As a Communications Payload Engineer, in […]

Henry Chadwick (1824 - 1908)

Henry Chadwick was one of the prime movers in the rise of baseball to its popularity at the turn of the 20th century. A keen amateur statistician and professional writer, he helped sculpt the public perception of the game, as well as providing the basis for the records of teams’ and players’ achievements in the […]

John Tener (1863 - 1946)

John Tener was born in County Tyrone, Ireland to George Evans Tener and Susan Wallis. In 1872, Tener’s father died and the family moved the following year to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Tener attended public schools and later worked as a clerk for hardware manufacturer Oliver Iron and Steel Corporation from 1881–1885. In 1885, Tener, who was six-foot-four (1.93 […]

Red Barber (1908 - 1992)

Red Barber had been hired by Larry MacPhail, then president of the Reds. When MacPhail moved on to become president of the Dodgers for the 1939 season, he took the play-by-play man along. In Brooklyn, Barber became an institution, widely admired for his folksy style. He was also appreciated by people concerned about Brooklyn’s reputation […]

Peter “Pistol Pete” Maravich (1947 - 1988)

The Atlanta Hawks selected Pete Maravich with the third pick in the first round of the 1970 NBA draft, where he played for coach Richie Guerin. He was not a natural fit in Atlanta, as the Hawks already boasted a top-notch scorer at the guard position in Lou Hudson. In fact, Pistol Pete’s flamboyant style […]

Phil Rizzuto (1917 - 2007)

Phil Rizzuto was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1937. His nickname, at times attributed to Yankees broadcaster Mel Allen, was actually bestowed on Rizzuto (according to him) by minor league teammate Billy Hitchcock because of the way Rizzuto ran the bases. After being named the Minor League Player of […]

Ward Lambert (1888 - 1958)

Ward Lambert was born in Deadwood, South Dakota. In 1890, Lambert and his family moved to Crawfordsville, Indiana. He played basketball and baseball at Crawfordsville High School and Wabash College, both under coach Ralph Jones, who himself went on to coach Purdue. Despite his height (5’6″), Lambert led Wabash in scoring his sophomore year—leading to […]

Charles Comiskey (1859 - 1931)

Charles Comiskey started his playing career as a pitcher, and moved to first base after developing arm trouble. He entered the American Association in 1882 with the St. Louis Brown Stockings. He managed the team during parts of its first seasons and took over full-time in 1885, leading the Browns to four consecutive American Association […]

Gene Brabender (1941 - 1996)

Gene Brabender (August 16, 1941 – December 27, 1996), nicknamed “Lurch”, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before the 1961 season. He pitched for the Baltimore Orioles (1966–1968), Seattle Pilots (1969), and the Milwaukee Brewers (1970). During a 5-year baseball career, […]

Alexander Joy Cartwright, Jr (1820 - 1892)

Alexander Cartwright led the establishment of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club (after the Knickerbocker Fire Engine Company) in 1842. The Knickerbockers played a brand of bat-and-ball game often called “town ball” or “round ball,” but in New York more usually “base ball,” somewhat similar to but not identical to the English sport of rounders, on […]

Warren Giles (1896 - 1979)

Warren Giles was elected president of the Moline, Illinois, Plowboys baseball club in the Class B Three-I League at age 23 in 1919, beginning his 50-year career in baseball. He then joined the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization and rose to prominence as the president and business manager of their top-level farm teams, the Syracuse Stars (1926–27) […]