Sept. 23, 2002

Space-Themed Gallery To Memorialize Former Rensselaer Leader

The Low Lounge honoring George M. Low '48, Rensselaer alumnus and former president who helped put man on the moon, has been converted to a museum-quality exhibit thanks to a generous donation of artifacts courtesy of Low's family. The campus is invited to an opening dedication ceremony Friday, Sept. 27, at 5 p.m. in the RPI Playhouse, with tours of the exhibit immediately following.

The renamed Low Gallery is located on the fourth floor of the Low Center for Industrial Innovation. It now resembles the inside of a space shuttle and includes photos and many other items of personal and professional significance, such as historic National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) memorabilia, autographed pictures of astronauts, and even Low's Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Low earned bachelor's and master's degrees in aeronautical engineering from Rensselaer in 1948 and 1950, respectively, and soon began work as a research scientist for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the forerunner to NASA. After a stint in the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory in Cleveland, Low joined NASA as the first chief of manned space flight programs and embarked on an illustrious and demanding career that touched on the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo Projects.

"[Low] challenged our country to seek out the ultimate reaches of the unknown," said former Governor of New York Hugh Carey. "Like Magellan, Columbus, and Henry Hudson, he sought through discovery to teach us the wonders of our own planet."

After 27 years at NASA, Low took Rensselaer's helm in 1976 as its 14th president and immediately began implementing his "Rensselaer 2000 Plan," which ultimately helped establish the Incubator Program and the Rensselaer Technology Park. He died in 1984.