George A. Spangenberg
Graduating class: 1930
Inducted into Hall of Fame: 1999
Hall of Fame Category: Lifetime Achievement
A recipient of the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award for re search and development, the Navy's highest civilian award, George "Spangy" Spangenberg had a full career.
A 1935 graduate of the University of Michigan in Aeronautical Engineering, in 1939 George became Assistant Director (and later Director) of the Evaluation Division of the Naval Air Systems Command responsible for the design and engineering of aircraft proposed for Navy use and for their selection, development, and production.
His principle duties included responsibility for establishing overall de sign requirements for all new naval aircraft and missiles, conducting de sign competitions and selecting best designs. He also served as spokesman on naval aircraft design matters to the Navy, OSD, and Congress.
More than any other single individual, he is credited with the long array of successful aircraft designs procured for the navy over a forty year period. He is considered the leading government technical authority in the acquisition of weapon systems.
He was awarded the Distinguished Navy Civilian Service Award in 1963, the Superior Navy Civilian Service Award in 1970, enshrined in the Naval Aviation Hall of Honor in 1990, and an Honorary "Golden Eagle" in 1993.