John D. Ward, Jr.
Class of 2002, 2004

My wife Marcia and I live in the upstate of South Carolina where I currently work for GE Gas Turbines as a turbine blade design engineer.  While at USC, I was active with the USC Racing Team, USC Marching Band, and was a member of the Center for Mechanics of Materials and Non-Destructive Evaluation where I performed research for both NASA and the Air Force Research Lab. I was also the team engineer for Sam White Racing, and served the Boy Scouts of America as a scoutmaster and Eagle Scout board of review member.

I have worked for GE for a little over a year and I have filed several patents ranging from turbine blade design to advanced sealing and cooling devices.  It was during my time working with the USC Racing Team that I realized that there's always a better way to do or design anything. The competition-driven desire for excellence that the various engineering-based teams produces in a student is very similar to the competition in any market; be it for airplanes or for model airplanes.  It was that teamwork and competition at the USC Department of Mechanical Engineering that helped to define for me what being an engineer is all about. The small classes are well structured such that discussion is always encouraged and access to the professors is made easy.  This makes the educational process very enjoyable even for the most introverted of students.

The team-building, work ethic, and unparalleled quality of instruction produced by the fundamental elements of the Department of Mechanical Engineering is what has and will continue to be one of the best drivers of success in all of our engineering students and alumni.

Ward received both his bachelor's degree in May 2002 and his master's in May 2004 in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Carolina's Mechanical Engineering Department.  His thesis defense was titled "Experimental Investigation into the Fracture Behavior of Friction Stir Welds in 2024-T351 with Flaws Located at Various Angles and Proximities to the Weld."

David A. King graduated from the Mechanical Engineering Department with a bachelor's degree in 1983 and shortly after joined NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as a main propulsion system engineer.  Since then, he has held several titles, both in management and leadership, including Deputy Director of Shuttle Processing, Shuttle Launch Director, and Director of Shuttle Processing through 1999.  As Shuttle Launch Director, King oversaw six Space Shuttle launches.  He was promoted to the rank of director of Space Shuttle Processing in 2000 where he managed and coordinated the Shuttle program at the Kennedy Center and oversaw approximately 5,400 employees.  King now heads the Marshall Center in Huntsville, AL, having been named director in 2003.

During his tenure at NASA, King has received many accolades, most recently in August 2005 receiving the Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Executives, the highest award given for government work.  He was one of only four NASA employees honored and among 55 nationwide to be selected for the Distinguished Service Award by the President.   This award is given yearly to deserving senior federal employees for exemplary leadership and service.  The nominations are made by a board of private citizens who give their list of recommendations to the President.

King was also awarded NASA's Outstanding Leadership Medal in 2000 and 2004 for his work with technical or administrative agency programs.  In 2001 he received the Presidential Rank Award for Meritious Executives, given to senior executive employees for their accomplishments over their career.  He also received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 1996, which is given to those who have shown substantial initiative and creativity over their careers.

King received his bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina in Mechanical Engineering in 1983 and his master's in Business Administration from Florida Institute of Technology.  He now lives in Madison, AL with his wife and two daughters.