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Jerry Bostick
Jerry Creel Bostick is a retired flight dynamics officer (FIDO) and NASA official. He began work with the agency in 1962 during the Mercury program, and played a key role during the lunar landings of the late 1960s and early 70s.

Personal
Bostick was born on June 9, 1939 in Mississippi. He is married and has three children, Michael, Kristi and Marnie; and 10 grandchildren.

Education
In the mid-1950s, Bostick served as a page in the United States Congress and doorman in the House of Representatives. He graduated from Mississippi State University in 1962 with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering.

NASA career
Bostick’s NASA career began shortly after his college graduation with a brief stint as an aerospace engineer in the structures division at Langley Research Center in Virginia. He then moved to Houston, where he first worked in the mission planning and analysis division at the Manned Spacecraft Center.

In 1965, Bostick was named as a flight dynamics officer (FDO) responsible for the flight path of the Gemini spacecraft. As he continued to rise through the ranks, Bostick served as head of the FDO section from 1966-1968 and then as chief of the flight dynamics branch from the beginning of the Apollo program in 1968 through 1973.

Bostick was serving in this role during the most triumphant period in NASA’s history – one that saw mankind’s first lunar orbit on Apollo 8, the first landing and moonwalk on Apollo 11 and the miraculous safe return of the Apollo 13 crew following a mid-flight onboard explosion.

Following the end of the Apollo program, Bostick was transferred to NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. from 1973 to 1975. There, he served as:


 * Assistant executive secretary, office of the administrator (1973-1974).
 * Officer of energy program (1974).
 * Special assistant for programs, office of energy programs (1974).
 * Director, energy technology applications division, office of energy programs (1974-1975).

Heading back to Houston in 1975, Bostick was heavily involved in the development of the Space Shuttle. From 1976 to 1979, he was manager of payload deployment and retrieval systems for the Space Shuttle orbiter project office. In 1981 and 1982, he was acting manager of the Space Transportation System operations program. His next role, lasting from 1982 to 1983, was as deputy manager of the Space Shuttle program.

At the time of his retirement from NASA in 1984, Bostick was serving as the director of mission support.

Post-NASA career
After his retirement, Bostick went to work for Grumman Aerospace Corporation as vice president of space systems and as director of business development for Northrop Grumman Corporation.

Probably his best-known work following NASA was in his capacity as a technical advisor for the Ron Howard-directed “Apollo 13.” His son, Michael, was instrumental in bringing the story to Howard’s attention.

Professional and honorary societies

 * Member, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
 * Member, American Society of Civil Engineers
 * Member, Mississippi Society of Professional Engineers
 * Member, National Space Club

Recognitions
MSC Outstanding Performance Rating, 1969
 * Honor Graduate, United States Army Defense School, Fort Bliss, Texas, 1962
 * Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) Group Achievement Award, Rendezvous Operations Planning Team, 1966
 * MSC Group Achievement Award, Gemini Support Team, 1966
 * MSC Sustained Superior Performance Award, 1967
 * MSC Group Achievement Award, Apollo 7 Flight Operations Team, 1968
 * MSC Sustained Superior Performance Award, 1968
 * MSC Outstanding Performance Rating, 1968
 * MSC Sustained Superior Performance Award, 1969
 * MSC Group Achievement Award, Flight Operations Lunar Landing Team, 1969
 * NASA Certificate of Commendation, 1969
 * MSC Group Achievement Award, Lunar Landing Team, 1969
 * MSC Apollo Achievement Award, 1969
 * MSC Letter of Commendation, Chief of Flight Control Division, 1970
 * NASA Group Achievement Award, Lunar Orbit Experiments Team, 1971
 * NASA Quality Increase Award, 1973
 * NASA Exceptional Service Medal, 1973
 * NASA Group Achievement Award, Lunar Landing Team, 1973
 * NASA Group Achievement Award, Skylab Achievement Award, 1974
 * Who’s Who in Government, 1974-75
 * NASA Headquarters, Letter of Commendation, Assistant Administrator for Energy Programs, 1975
 * NASA Headquarters, Letter of Commendation, Deputy Director of Advanced Programs, 1976