Eleanor Crockett Pressly (1918 - 2003)

Born 20 Aug 1918 in Mecklenburg, North Carolina, United States

Ancestors

Died 10 May 2003 at age 84 in Rockville, Montgomery, Maryland, United States

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Biography

Eleanor Pressly is Notable.

Eleanor Pressly was born in North Carolina.

Eleanor was born before 1900. She is the daughter of Samuel Pressly and Georgia Crockett. ^[1]

Occupation - mathematician, aeronautical engineer

Known for - sounding rocket program, Goddard Space Flight Center

Uncle Sam's Rocketeer

"Eleanor C. Pressly, originally from the Charlotte area, received a master’s degree in mathematics at Duke in 1944. After working at Harvard, she served as an aeronautical research engineer at the United States Naval Research Library. She quickly became a specialist in rockets, particularly sounding rockets, which are unpiloted rockets that collect atmospheric data. Responsible for more than two dozen launches at the White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico, she was thought to have been the first woman to fire a rocket.

Eleanor Crockett Pressly (2nd from Right) for the Federal Woman's Award Ceremony).

Her work was highly technical and time-sensitive. A 1956 article syndicated by the Newspaper Enterprise Association described her at White Sands: “With one eye on an anemometer, the other on wind reports coming in from balloons and on a crew of computers, she keeps a constant watch six hours previous to firing.” She was responsible for ensuring that the angle of the launch was appropriately calibrated to the weather, and if anything were to go wrong when it was in the air, she would pull the switch that would cause the rocket to self-destruct. Despite her serious scientific bona fides, the reporter could not resist describing her appearance in the article, too, referring to “… this youthful looking woman who gives the appearance of a happy housewife set for a round of afternoon bridge. She has bright blue eyes, blonde hair, and an infectious laugh.”

A 1957 article in the Washington Post and Times Herald claimed she was called “Uncle Sam’s Blonde Rocketeer.” It also connected Pressly to future developments in the space program: “Later this year, if the earth satellite is launched as planned and the world applauds the first ‘man-made’ moon, remember that a woman had a finger in it too. Eleanor helped on the original research to determine how long the satellite could be expected to remain aloft.” ^[2]

Death and Burial

Eleanor C Pressly died in 2003. She is buried in the Glenwood Cemetery, Washington, DC. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the National Lutheran Home. ^[3]

Links

• The Right Stuff, the wrong sex
• CIA Federal Women's Award
• Charlotte Native, a White House Guest

Sources

1. ↑ "North Carolina, Department of Archives and History, Index to Vital Records, 1800-2000," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:7X1R-FR3Z : 25 October 2019), Eleanor C Pressley, 1918; citing Birth, North Carolina, United States, North Carolina State Archives, Division of Archives and History, Raleigh; FHL microfilm 102380337.
2. ↑ Eleanor C Pressly, a Duke Alumni in NASA
3. ↑ Washington Post Obituary

• "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6ZH-TGT : accessed 13 July 2020), Eleanor Pressly in household of Sam A Pressly, Due West, Abbeville, South Carolina, United States; citing ED 13, sheet 5A, line 37, family 95, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1682; FHL microfilm 1,821,682.
• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SPZG-GFB : accessed 13 July 2020), Eleanor Pressly in household of Samuel A Pressly, Kings Mountain, York, South Carolina, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 34, sheet 19A, line 27, family 286, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2216; FHL microfilm 2,341,950.
• NASA Sounding Rockets, A History
• Hearings, Reports and Prints of the Senate Committee on ..., Volume 89, Issue 1
• The Sounding Rocket as a Tool for College and University Research

See Also:

• Wikipedia: Eleanor C Pressly
• Wikidata: Item Q64500289, en:Wikipedia ,
• Family Search: Profile for Eleanor Crockett Pressly
• Find A Grave: Memorial #157086839