Pictured: NASA’s X-15 Test Pilots, From left to right: USAF Capt. Joe Engle, USAF Maj. Robert Rushworth, NASA test pilot John “Jack” McKay, USAF Maj. William “Pete” Knight, NASA test pilot Milton Thompson, and NASA test pilot William. Photo: NASA.
ORONO, MAINE: The Major General Robert A. Rushworth Scholarship fund was recently established at the University of Maine Foundation in honor of the late International Space Hall of Fame inductee Major General Robert A. Rushworth. The fund will provide financial assistance to University of Maine, Orono students enrolled in any engineering discipline. This fund was created through a gift from William G. “Bill” Weppner, Major, United States Air Force (Retired) of Memphis, Tennessee, in honor of Rushworth, who made a life-changing impact on Bill’s own Air Force career.
Originally from Madison, Maine, Robert Rushworth served in the Army Air Force during WWII before arriving at the University of Maine, completing a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1951. After obtaining an M.S. in Aeronautical-Mechanical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, Bob became an Air Force command pilot, serving in Vietnam with 189 missions as a fighter wing commander. On General Rushworth, Weppner remembers “he flew anything with wings, up to the North American X-15 rocket, which didn’t have wings.” The X-15, a rocket-powered spacecraft developed by NASA in the 1950s, was the first piloted plane to reach hypersonic speeds (five times the speed of sound). In 1963, General Rushworth, a test pilot and primary pilot of the X-15, ventured four miles out of the earth’s atmosphere in the craft, earning him the rank of Air Force astronaut and a place of honor alongside the Mercury Seven Astronauts.
General Rushworth served briefly as Inspector General, Air Force Systems Command, followed by Commander of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California before retiring in 1981 as Vice Commander, Aeronautical Systems Division, Air Force Systems Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. His decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal with ten clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal among many other awards. He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame alongside Charles Lindbergh, Chuck Yeager, John Glenn, and the Wright Brothers; and enshrined in the International Space Hall of Fame for his service with the X-15.
This scholarship will further General Rushworth’s legacy, inspiring the next generation of leaders and innovators at the University of Maine in engineering.
Interested in establishing your own scholarship at the University of Maine Foundation? Funding a scholarship for UMaine students through the Foundation may be accomplished by making current gifts of cash, stock, land or personal property, or a deferred gift through a charitable trust, gift annuity, pooled life income fund or bequest. Learn more about connecting your legacy to UMaine’s future at How to Establish a FundUniversity of Maine Foundationhttps://umainefoundation.org › how-to-establish-a-fund
About the University of Maine Foundation:The University of Maine Foundation is dedicated to supporting the University of Maine by securing and managing private gifts to enhance the University’s mission of teaching, research, and public service. Through the generosity of alumni and friends, the Foundation strives to ensure the continued growth and success of the university.
About the University of Maine: As Maine’s only public research university and a Carnegie R1 top-tier research institution, the University of Maine advances learning and discovery through excellence and innovation. Founded in 1865 in Orono, UMaine is the state’s land, sea and space grant university with a regional campus at the University of Maine at Machias. Our students come from all over the world and work with faculty conducting fieldwork around the globe — from the North Atlantic to the Antarctic. Located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation with UMaine Machias located in the homeland of the Passamaquoddy Nation, UMaine’s statewide mission is to foster an environment that creates tomorrow’s leaders. As the state’s flagship institution, UMaine offers nearly 200 degree programs through which students can earn bachelor’s, master’s, professional master’s and doctoral degrees as well as graduate certificates. For more information about UMaine and UMaine Machias, visit umaine.edu/about/quick-facts and machias.edu/about-umm/umm-facts.
