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Author
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Topic: Julius Montgomery, 'range rat' (1929-2020)
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onesmallstep
Member Posts: 1312
From: Staten Island, New York USA
Registered: Nov 2007
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posted 02-26-2020 09:02 AM
   
Amidst all the well-deserved accolades for the late Katherine Johnson and her pioneering achievements both in science and the Civil Rights movement, one equally important figure died quietly on Jan. 22, 2020 who brought his technical talents and grace and dignity in the middle of the Jim Crow South. Julius Montgomery, a Tuskegee Institute graduate, RCA electronics "range rat" at the Cape and a Melbourne, Florida city Councilman, passed away at 90 barely a week after receiving an honorary doctorate by the school he had a personal stake in. He was the first African American ever hired at the Cape Canaveral space facility to work as a technical professional. Additionally, he integrated the Florida Institute of Technology and was the first black member of the Melbourne, Florida, City Council....Montgomery began his career as a member of the "Range Rats," technicians who repaired malfunctioning ballistic missiles. Their work mostly involved developing circuits, as there was no "over-the-counter equipment to do the jobs" at the time, Montgomery said. The team also travelled out to the ships that, he said, "searched the skies for anything the Russians were doing" to perform maintenance on the satellite equipment. |
David Carey
Member Posts: 797
From:
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 02-26-2020 09:22 AM
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Kite
Member Posts: 845
From: Northampton UK
Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 02-26-2020 10:13 AM
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GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 2501
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 02-26-2020 12:29 PM
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Panther494
Member Posts: 416
From: London UK
Registered: Jan 2013
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posted 02-26-2020 12:30 PM
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Gilbert
Member Posts: 1334
From: Carrollton, GA USA
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 02-26-2020 12:35 PM
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oly
Member Posts: 934
From: Perth, Western Australia
Registered: Apr 2015
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posted 02-26-2020 12:51 PM
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ManInSpace
Member Posts: 124
From: Brooklin, Ontario Canada
Registered: Feb 2018
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posted 02-26-2020 01:34 PM
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Grounded!
Member Posts: 376
From: Bennington, Vermont, USA
Registered: Feb 2011
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posted 02-26-2020 01:42 PM
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SpaceCadet1983
Member Posts: 237
From: United States
Registered: May 2012
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posted 02-26-2020 01:58 PM
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randy
Member Posts: 2203
From: West Jordan, Utah USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 02-26-2020 04:39 PM
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star51L
Member Posts: 348
From: Vilano Beach, FL, USA
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 02-26-2020 05:41 PM
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SkyMan1958
Member Posts: 874
From: CA.
Registered: Jan 2011
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posted 02-26-2020 06:58 PM
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LM1
Member Posts: 675
From: New York, NY
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 02-27-2020 07:47 AM
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alcyone
Member Posts: 135
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 02-27-2020 07:40 PM
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hlbjr
Member Posts: 479
From: Delray Beach Florida USA
Registered: Mar 2006
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posted 02-28-2020 12:32 AM
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Kevin T. Randall
Member Posts: 1119
From: Chesham, Bucks UK
Registered: Dec 2008
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posted 02-28-2020 01:30 AM
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Joel Katzowitz
Member Posts: 811
From: Marietta GA USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 02-28-2020 07:04 AM
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astro-nut
Member Posts: 970
From: Washington, IL
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 03-03-2020 02:29 PM
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spaceman
Member Posts: 1115
From: Walsall, West Midlands, UK
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 03-04-2020 01:32 PM
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dss65
Member Posts: 1164
From: Sandpoint, ID, USA
Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 03-05-2020 09:07 PM
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