The Alumni Association honors Marvin Dow for his contribution to science and technology. A research engineer since 1957 with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Mr. Dow helped develop the heat shield materials and thermal protection systems used for the Apollo missions and the space shuttle. The success of these materials and systems led to improved design of commercial airplanes. But Mr. Dow will be most remembered by history for leading the team whose discoveries are in the process of revolutionizing airplanes. Thanks to him, airplane wings will be lighter, stronger, cheaper to make, and cheaper to use. The NASA research team that Mr. Dow led discovered a lightweight replacement material for aluminum that combines ancient practices of knitting, braiding and stitching with the modern technology of carbon fabrics and molded resin. In partnership with Boeing, NASA and its team have now developed a gigantic stitching machine to create airplane wings from the new material. Mr. Dow's role as the leader of this discovery was acknowledged publicly when he became the first ever NASA employee to have a commercial building named after him. The Marvin B. Dow Stitched Composites Development Center at Boeing's facilities in Huntington, CA, was dedicated in August 1997. It was the culmination of numerous awards he has received over the years, including a NASA Exceptional Service Medal, a NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal, and being named a NASA Distinguished Research Associate upon his retirement in 1996. A graduate of the University of Virginia with a bachelor's and a master's in engineering, Mr. Dow died in February 1998.

See a list of past recipients