Mae C. Jemison, M.D.

1994 Honoree

In the 1960's, when the Gemini and Apollo space flights occurred, a small girl in Chicago watched in awe, saying softly to herself, "I want to do that."

This thoughtful child did not stop to reflect upon being a female and a black American or about the odds against her becoming an astronaut. Mae Jemison steadfastly believed this was her destiny.

She realized education was her pathway to the stars, and with her parent's support, she could accomplish her mission. She prepared herself by reading books on astronomy and other sciences, and she devoured science fiction as well. Her feet were planted firmly on the ground, but she was reaching for the stars.

In 1973, when Jemison was 16, she won a scholarship to Stanford University in California. Four years later, she had earned a bachelor's degree majoring in chemical engineering and Black American Studies. After Stanford, she entered the Cornell University Medical School in New York and became a physician. Later this strong woman joined the Peace Corps and provided health care to people in West Africa, mostly in Sierre Leone and Liberia.

In 1987, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected Jemison for the Astronaut Corps. On September 12, 1992, she blasted into orbit aboard the space shuttle Endeavor. As chief researcher on that seven-day mission, her main task was to study bone tissue during the period of weightlessness.

As the first African-American female in space, Jemison has received many honors. More importantly, she constantly promotes the importance of education and space age technology because she believes the youth of the world must be educated so they can turn their dreams into realities.