Native American Heritage Month - Dudley Knox Library
Former Astronaut Recounts How He Reached for the Stars at American Indian Heritage Month Event
An 8-year-old boy built a rocket ship out of a cardboard box, dreaming he could fly to the moon.
That boy was Dr. John Herrington [NPS Alumnus, 1995], who grew up to become the first American Indian (Chickasaw tribe) NASA astronaut, flying to space with STS-113 Endeavor in 2002. Herrington, a retired Navy commander and graduate of the Naval Test Pilot School (TPS) at NAVAIR, shared his story at NAVAIR’s national virtual American Indian Alaskan Native Heritage Month.
“My ancestors — my parents, my grandparents — were able to make decisions that allowed them to survive,” he said. “My heritage, based on making good decisions, allowed me to do what I’ve done. It’s influenced my life greatly. My ancestors have given me the opportunity to walk the earth and fly above it.”
Read Dr. Herrington's thesis here: Uniform framework for GPS/IMU integration using Kalman filtering
Source: NAVAIR News 11 Nov 20
Photo: NASA, via Wikipedia
James Tindall
Dr. James Tindall [NPS Alumnus, 2006], who is Cherokee/Seminole, is an alumnus of CHDS. Tindall's thesis work proposed that the federal government and the sovereign Tribal Nations of America need to make a sincere effort to communicate and cooperate with one another to help solve the many homeland security challenges facing them. Dr. Tindall continues to speak publicly on bettering Tribal Nation integration into National preparedness, beginning with his time at NPS, when his fellow students expressed an interest in learning more about homeland security issues facing tribal governments. See his talk, "Improving Tribal Relations in Homeland Security". Read his thesis here.
Margaret Muhr
NPS Center for Homeland Defense and Security master’s degree graduate Margaret Muhr, an enrolled member of the Potawatomi Nation, was the first Native American to graduate from CHDS’ master’s degree program. Muhr’s CHDS thesis, “What is the Problem to Which the Answer Was Public Law 83-280: How is it Working Out and What Should We Do Next?,” explored that Act’s shortcomings from a tribal perspective. Read more about Margaret Muhr.