AL HR66

Honors Dr. William R. Lucas on his 100th birthday, March 1, 2022.

Dr. Lucas was born March 1, 1922, in Newbern, Tennessee, and earned degrees in Chemistry from Memphis State College and a Master's Degree and Doctorate in Metallurgy from Vanderbilt University.

Served as materials officer at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency under Wernher von Braun, designing the thermal control system for Explorer 1 and selecting materials for Alan Shepard's first American spaceflight in 1961.

Transferred to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center where he became director, developing the propulsion system for the Saturn V rocket and the Skylab space station, and overseeing the Hubble Space Telescope development.

Served extensively at First Baptist Church of Huntsville in roles including Sunday School Teacher, Superintendent, and various committee positions throughout his life.