Dr. Richard J. Williams ’62

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The Valedictorian of the Class of 1962, Dr. Williams earned a degree in geology from Lehigh University after which he received a Ph.D. in geochemistry from Johns Hopkins.

After his Ph.D. work, he joined NASA in Houston and earned a technical degree (Masters level) in Public Administration from the University of Houston.

At NASA, Dr. Williams served as a Research Scientist at the Johnson Space Craft Center. He was involved extensively with the Space Station programs and was in charge of the many experiments conducted on the Space Station. He was also the Manager of Planetary Geology and Physics at NASA prior to his retirement.

During his time at NASA, he either was the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of 63 papers and technical reports. Dr. Williams has received numerous awards from NASA, including a NASA Certificate of Commendation for his contributions in the field of geochemistry as it applies to the geological process on the moon.

Following his retirement from NASA after 25 years, he has become heavily involved in volunteer work in the Reston, Virginia area with several religious and community groups and has been recognized for his volunteer work in various capacities at the local, county, state, and national levels for his work on social programs.

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