Duvone Dale was born May 13, 1937, to William Zina Dale and Mary Arlena Mullins Dale. He was the oldest of five children. He attended grade school in a four room school in Allons, TN. It was there that his teacher and principal Hugh Ogletree, Sr. discovered Duvone was not an ordinary student. His ability far exceeded the normal. Duvone loved to read. It was at Allons Elementary where he read the entire set of encyclopedias before enrolling at Livingston Academy.
Duvone attended high school at Livingston Academy where he graduated in two years. He attended Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville and graduated in just three years with a BS in physics.
In 1960 he began a career with NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama which was also known as the Redstone Arsenal. While at NASA he completed nine semester hours in Mathematics at the University of Alabama and 21 semester hours in Computer Science at Alabama A&M University. He also completed several other computer courses offered at NASA throughout his career.
Duvone served as a research and development engineer performing studies related to tracking and data systems for space vehicles. He served on a team of scientists who put the first man on the moon. Duvone played an important role in helping the world to see the first footprints left on the moon on July 20, 1969.
During his career at NASA, he received several awards. Among those being the following:
· 1967 for his faithful service and contribution to the successful launch of the first Saturn V and the NASA space program.
· 1969 Apollo Achievement Award. In appreciation of dedicated service to the nation as a member of the team which advanced the nation’s capabilities in aeronautics and space culminating in Apollo 11’s successful moon landing.
Duvone retired early in order to take care of his ailing mother. She accompanied him on many trips between Huntsville, Alabama and Overton County Tennessee before his retirement. Duvone died suddenly on March 20, 2006, at the age of 69. His final resting place is the Dale Family Cemetery.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for reading about one of our Alumni Hall of Fame members. If you have someone you would like to nominate for the LA Alumni Hall of Fame, the nomination form can be found here: bit.ly/lahof
Comments