"Before you can make a dream come true, you must first have one."-- Ronald E. McNair
Ronald E. McNair was born in Lake City, South Carolina. He graduated Valedictorian from Carver High School in 1967. In 1971, he received a Bachelors degree Magna Cum Laude in physics from North Carolina A&T State University. He received a Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976. Dr. McNair was nationally recognized for his work in the field of physics and was the recipient of many honorary degrees and commendations. In 1978, he was selected by NASA for the astronaut program, and was the second African-American to travel in space. On January 28th 1986, Dr. McNair along with six other astronauts died in the fiery explosion aboard the space shuttle challenger.