Jon A. McBride

Mr. McBride attended WVU before entering Navy Flight Training in 1965. He flew F-4s in 64 Viet Nam combat missions, earning many combat medals, has flown over 40 aircraft types, and achieved the rank of Navy Captain. In 1978 he became one of a group of 15 NASA astronauts selected from 10,000 applicants, and has been the only West Virginian astronaut. He was Pilot of the October 1984 eight day, seven-person Challenger Space Shuttle mission of October 1984. In 1987 he became the NASA chief for Capitol Hill liaison. He retired from NASA in 1989 after more than 25 years of government service, he started a venture capital firm to attract investments into West Virginia. He is an active booster of WVU and the State, and has been given the "State Medallion" award.