Danny Johnston; Hall of Fame Nomination

 

Johnston

If you had met Danny Johnston in the year 2015 he would probably have been wearing overalls and a long-sleeve shirt. You see, Danny had been a farmer all his life and continued farming at his home near Ardmore, Alabama until his passing. However his farm clothing belied the fact that, after he graduated as salutatorian of his class at Lewis County High School in 1962, Danny Johnston went on to become what many people believed to be one of the top 10 mathematicians in the world. He was doubtless one of the finest engineers in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as he was given an award to that effect in 1989. He worked for NASA for 43 years.

Danny Johnston was born on February 8, 1944. Danny was the first born son of a welder and farmer, James Johnston, and Katie Sue Johnston who was an elementary school teacher in Lewis County for almost 50 years.

Upon graduating high school, Danny enrolled in the school of engineering at Vanderbilt University and in four years completed his degree in mechanical and electrical engineering. After finishing his degree at Vanderbilt Johnston went on to the University of Alabama at Huntsville where he took courses in geometrical and physical optics. He worked at Brown Engineering on the Redstone Arsenal for two years before he was hired by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. With NASA, Danny rose through the ranks to become instrumental in developing, delivering and testing the optical telescope assembly (OTA) for the Hubble Space Telescope. He later assumed responsibilities as the lead engineer for the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) space telescope.

At the Marshall Space Flight Center Danny's official title was: "Senior Engineer in X-Ray Astrophysics". Pictures from the Hubble and Galileo space crafts changed the world by revealing objects heretofore unknown in our galaxy and beyond. In other words, Danny Johnston helped develop some of the most remarkable manmade creations ever to orbit this earth, and they are still working today. When he spoke at the 50-year reunion of his high school class, he brought with him many absolutely stunning and amazing slides from both Hubble and Galileo.

Among many other awards and achievements, in 1996 and 1997 Danny Johnston was awarded "Aerospace Engineer of the Year" by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for "Outstanding Engineering Achievement." He also received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal for his work on Hubble and the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal for his efforts with AXAF.

Early in the morning of December 11, 2016, Danny Johnston suffered a massive heart attack which took his life. On that day, Lewis County lost one of its most successful and accomplished sons. Who would have believed that this farm boy from the little village of Hohenwald, Tennessee would achieve so much that his name would be mentioned in the same breath as the other great giants of the Marshall Space Flight Center: Dr. Werner von Braun and Dr. Erick Heller?

Respectfully submitted,

Jerry M. Turner, Ph.D. , proud classmate, teammate and friend of Danny Johnston.

 

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