The Auburn Alumni Association has named four graduates as recipients of its 2011 Lifetime Achievement Awards, the organization's highest honor. Two engineering graduates have been recognized, astronaut Thomas K. "T.K." Mattingly '58 of Arlington, Va., and former Kennedy Space Center director Forrest S. McCartney '52 of Harbour Beach, Fla. Family physician and community health advocate Dr. Neil E. Christopher '55 of Guntersville, Ala., and health care executive Wayne T. Smith '68 of Nashville, Tenn., will also be recognized. The recipients will be honored at a dinner and induction ceremony on Saturday, March 5, at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. 

T.K. Mattingly

Mattingly was born in Chicago and received his bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Auburn in 1958. As a NASA astronaut, he was designated command module pilot for the Apollo 13 flight, but was removed from flight status 72 hours prior to the scheduled launch because of exposure to the German measles. While not on the Apollo 13 flight, he participated in the ground crew's efforts to save his fellow astronauts from near tragedy, an episode depicted in the film, "Apollo 13." He served as the command module pilot for the Apollo 16 mission. Mattingly is one of a few Apollo astronauts who also flew aboard the space shuttle. He was the shuttle commander on missions STS-4 and STS 51-C. Mattingly is known for his contributions to America's first treks into space, including his role in the development of the first lunar space suit and backpack.

Forrest McCartney

McCartney, a retired lieutenant general in the Air Force, earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Auburn in 1952. His 35-year Air Force career culminated in 1986 in an assignment to NASA as director of Kennedy Space Center. Brought there by the loss of Space Shuttle Challenger, McCartney assumed the responsibility of return-to-flight procedures. His work restoring manned space flight created such strong approval that aerospace elites asked for his continued involvement. He agreed, presiding over nearly 20 shuttle launches and landings — choreographing 20,000 workers and a $1.3 billion annual budget — beforeretiring in December 1991. After consulting with industry in various capacities, in 1994 McCartney became the vice president for launch operations at Lockheed Martin Astronautics. In this position, he was responsible for the launch of Atlas and Titan space boosters from Florida and California. He retired from Lockheed Martin in 2001 and was again summoned by NASA, this time to serve on the Aerospace Safety AdvisoryPanel (ASAP) providing safety oversight of NASA. He served as ASAP’s vice chairman until 2003, as well as a member of the Stafford-Covey Task Group overseeing NASA’s efforts to return to flight from the Space Shuttle Columbia accident.

To read more about the Auburn Alumni Association's Lifetime Achievement Awards, go to this link.