"You
are paving the way for many others and making it plain that we are in an era
of brotherhood here in our land." On the second day of the 1983 space shuttle
Challenger mission, then U.S. President Ronald Reagan spoke these stirring words
to Dr. Guion S. Bluford, Jr., the first African American to fly in space. With
this first, Dr. Bluford broke the color barrier in space exploration.
He was taught by his parents
to reach for the stars, literally. His mother was a teacher and his father an
inventor and mechanical engineer. One of three sons, Dr. Bluford’s interest
in space and aviation began as a child, when he constructed model airplanes.
"Don’t be afraid
to learn and
don’t be afraid to explore."
During the Vietnam War,
he flew 144 combat missions. His heroism was followed by stints as an instructor
pilot and staff development engineer. Dr. Bluford is currently vice president
of the Major Program Sector of the Federal Data Corporation, an information
technology and engineering services company headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.
The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native
received a B.S. in aerospace engineering from Penn State University, an M.S.
and a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology
and an MBA from the University of Houston.
As a member of the Board of Directors
of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Board of Trustees
of The Aerospace Corporation, Dr. Bluford continues to share his expertise with
space and aviation professionals.
His work and accomplishments received
appropriate recognition when Dr. Bluford was awarded Superior Service and three
Meritorious Service Medals from the Department of Defense; Legion of Merit,
Meritorious Service, Commendation and 10 Air Medals from the Air Force; Distinguished
Service, Exceptional Service and four Space Flight Medals from NASA; the State
of Pennsylvania’s Distinguished Service Medal; and 13 honorary doctorate degrees.
He was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1997.
Dr. Bluford shares with today’s
youth the same advice he gave to the 1999 graduating class of Central State
University in Dayton, Ohio: "Don’t be afraid to learn and don’t be afraid
to explore. Take time to invest in yourselves."
