The George M. Low Gallery, a collection of NASA artifacts and personal memorabilia honoring the accomplishments of Rensselaer’s 14th president, was dedicated on Friday at a ceremony held at the RPI Playhouse that included Low’s wife Mary and their five children.
“We’re thoroughly impressed and delighted with what we saw ... We hope that this serves as an inspiration to Rensselaer [students] for many years to come,” said Mark Low.
George Low was well-known by many for his pioneering work at NASA. He chaired the committee that first proposed lunar landing to then President John Kennedy in 1960.
“The origin of this bold prediction was George M. Low ... [He] spent 27 years crafting it,” said Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson.
Later, as manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program, Low directed the operations of eight successful Apollo missions, including Apollo 8, the first manned lunar orbital flight, and Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing.
NASA created the George M. Low award in 1987 inrecognition of Low’s work. The award is presented to businesses that demonstrate an outstanding degree of quality and technical performance as NASA contractors and sub-contractors.
“George Low was a true American technological leader,” said Jackson. “He was the consummate engineer with a tireless ability to coordinate and analyze program details.”
Low took over the presidency of RPI in 1976 and spent eight years transforming the Institute into a nationally-renowned research university by expanding program offerings to incorporate newer technological areas.
Low oversaw the creation of the Rensselaer Technology Park and Incubator Center and the completion of renovation projects for the JEC and VCC.
He created the concept of Rensselaer 2000 as a planning guide for the Institute, which implemented the development of multidisciplinary research programs between education, government, and industry.
“He brought to Rensselaer the same conviction and leadership that made him successful at NASA. The foundation he built [prepared] Rensselaer for the challenges of today,” said Jackson.
Low’s establishment of cooperative programs through the Center for Interactive Computer Graphics, Manufacturing Productivity and Technology Transfer, and Integrated Electronics formed the basis of his 1981 proposal for the creation of New York State’s Center for Industrial Innovation at RPI.
The CII was named after him in 1984. Low received numerous prestigious awards and honors during his career, including three Distinguished Service medals from NASA, the Rockefeller Public Service Award, and the National Science Foundation’s National Medal of Science and National Medal of Freedom posthumously.
He was inducted into the Rensselaer Alumni Hall of Fame in 1998 in a class that included innovators Amos Eaton, J. Erik Jonsson, Palmer Rickets, and George Ferris.
“George Low was an exceptional man. He was, is, and always will be an inspiration to all of us who wish to change the world,” said David Haviland, vice president for Institute advancement.
