ARCHIBALD ALEXANDER

Alexander (1888-1958) was born in Ottumwa, Iowa, and graduated in 1912 from Iowa State University with a civil engineering degree. As a design and construction engineer, he was responsible for the design of the Tidal Basin Bridge in Washington, D.C. and the K Street Freeway, both projects being undertaken in 1914. After studying bridge design at the University of London in 1921, Alexander opened a contracting business with a friend and was hired for major development projects across the United States, including an airfield in Tuskegee, Alabama. In 1954, President Eisenhower honored Alexander by appointing him the first Republican Territorial Governor of the Virgin Islands.

DAVID N. CROSTHWAIT, JR.

Crosthwait (1898-1976) was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and received his Masters of Engineering from Purdue University in 1920. He was the Technical Advisor of Dunham-Bush, Inc. from 1930 to 1971, and as an electrical and mechanical engineer, he was responsible for designing the heating system for Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, New York City. An author of a manual on heating and cooling, Crosthwait also received 39 patents relating to heating and ventilating systems. After retiring in 1969, he taught a course on steam heating theory and control systems at his alma mater.

MEREDITH C. GOURDINE

Gourdine (1929-1998) was born in Newark, New Jersey, and received a Ph.D. in Engineering Physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1960. Dr. Gourdine pioneered the research of electrogasdynamics, his research aiding the removal of smoke from buildings and the dispersion of fog from airport runways. Among the several positions he held were that of Senior Research Scientist at the Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1958-60 and Chief Scientist of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation from 1962 to 1964, and the president of Energy Innovation, Inc. of Houston, Texas.

CAMPBELL C. JOHNSON

Johnson (1921- ) was born in Washington, D.C. and against many odds (and being the only African-American then attending the school), he received his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the prestigious Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1942. As a quality engineer he wrote quality control procedures for Aerojet's Cape Canaveral and Vandenburg (A.F.B.) Missile Operations, and directed the propellant quality program for the Polaris missile system. He assured that Aerojet General Corporation produced quality solid rockets because that system demands exacting and mandatory quality control, top performance, and reliability.