John Junkins

John Lee Junkins was born on May 23, 1943, in Oakman, Georgia, to George Manley Junkins (1917-2008) from Carter's Quarter, Georgia, a World War II veteran, machinist, mechanic, and welder, and Alice Lenell Junkins (née Searcy; 1922–2008) from Gordon County, Georgia, who worked in the textile industry.[6] He is one of five siblings, and one of his sisters, Faye Gibbons, is an author and an inaugural inductee of the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame. Although both his father and mother dropped out of school at the sixth and fourth-grade, respectively, they were bright, and understood education was vital for their children to succeed.[7]

Junkins grew up in the town of Dalton, Georgia on his family's five-acre farm, where he later attended North Whitfield High School and participated in the football and track and field teams.[6] He began to be interested in Aerospace Engineering after watching the artificial satellite Sputnik 1 make history during his Freshman year of high school in 1957.[7] This interest was reinforced after his high school track coach, Crossland Clegg, told him that he was more talented academically than physically during the spring of his senior year.[6][7] Also, later the next year, after hearing President John F. Kennedy's "We choose to go to the moon" speech, Junkins elected to pursue aerospace engineering.[6]

After high school, he wanted to attend Georgia Tech University but was lacking some of the required classes that he was not able to take at his rural high school. He initially attended Berry College in Rome, Georgia, where he was active on the track team, winning the GIAC championship in pole vault. His college roommate, who was also on the track team, brought him along on a visit to Auburn University, where Junkins was instantly impressed. During his initial visit, he called the registrar on a Sunday afternoon, after looking for his number in a phone book. After explaining his desire to attend Auburn, he was invited to the registrar's home, sending in his application on the spot.[7]

Soon after, he was accepted, and he began the Aerospace Engineering program in September 1962, later on receiving a degree in Aerospace Engineering (B.AE. 1965)[3][8] at Auburn. He then pursued his graduate studies at University of California, Los Angeles (M.S. 1967 and Ph.D. 1969).[3][8] His dissertation was on a novel gradient projection technique.[9]

While an undergraduate at Auburn University, Junkins began his career at the age of 19 as a co-op student during the Apollo program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Huntsville, Alabama, notably working with Wernher von Braun,[7]. He also supported the final three Apollo missions (Apollo 15, Apollo 16, and Apollo 17) during the early 1970s and his inventions have led to commercial products including navigation sensors for autonomous aerial refueling of aircraft, and for pointing navigation of spacecraft based on star pattern recognition.[10]
While he attended graduate studies at UCLA, he maintained full-time employment at McDonnell-Douglas, where he supported numerous launches of satellites aboard Delta rockets.
At the age of 26 and after receiving his doctorate from UCLA, Junkins went to work at the University of Virginia as an assistant professor.[3][8]
At 34, he left UVA to join the faculty of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University as a full professor.[3][8]
In 1985, Junkins accepted an offer from Texas A&M University to become an endowed professor at the College of Engineering.[3][8] Junkins was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1996 for contributions to flight mechanics and flexible vehicle control.[2] He is also a member of the International Academy of Astronautics[11] and an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.[12]

After being recommended by the Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp on November 24, 2020,[13] Junkins released a statement.[5]

"My job will be to help navigate Texas A&M safely along our presently planned course and work with existing senior leadership and the faculty to solve problems as they arise until our new president takes the helm, hopefully by June."

Junkins became the interim President of Texas A&M University on January 1, 2021. His term as interim President ended on May 31, 2021. After his term, Junkins returned as a distinguished professor of the College of Engineering.

• 1970–1977, University of Virginia[3][8]
• 1978–1985, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University[3][8]
• 1985 – present, Texas A&M University[3][8]

• 1983 Mechanics & Control of Flight Award, AIAA[14]
• 1987 Dirk Brouwer Award, AAS[15]
• 1988 J. Leland Atwood Award, AIAA[16]
• 1990 Pendray Aerospace Literature Award, AIAA[17]
• 1997 von Karman Lectureship in Astronautics Award, AIAA[18]
• 1999 Frank J. Malina Astronautics Medal, IAF[19]
• 2003 Tycho Brahe Award, ION[10]
• 2006 Aerospace Guidance, Navigation, and Control Award, AIAA[20]
• 2011 Life-Time Achievement Medal, ICCES[21]
• 2019 Robert H. Goddard Astronautics Award, AIAA[22]

• John L. Junkins' former personal webpage