Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. - An Accomplished Man in a Suit
Born in Chicago, Illinois on October 2, 1935, Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. graduated from Englewood High School in Chicago in the top 10 percent of his class. In 1956 he graduated from Bradley University with a B.A. in Chemistry and was a member of Omega Psi Phi. While in college he enlisted in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and distinguished himself, receiving the commission of Second Lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve Program. At age 25, Robert finished an instructor pilot training aircraft for the German Air Force. He received a PhD in physical chemistry from Ohio State University.
Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. was the first African American selected to be an astronaut. He was also a test pilot and senior United States Air Force pilot with over 2,500 flight hours; about 80% of those hours were in jets. Robert conducted pilot studies to investigate gliding flight of unpowered spacecraft returning to Earth from orbit. NASA recognized Robert for his performance donating significantly to the Space Shuttle evolution. On December 8, 1967, Robert was in the backseat of an F-104 as the pilot instructor for flight test trainee. The trainee, Major Harvey Royer, flared too late when practicing the steep descent glide technique causing the plane to crash killing Robert instantly. He was 32 years old. In Robert H. Lawrence's honor 13th Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft was named the S.S. Robert H. Lawrence.
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