The RNASA Foundation

The RNASA Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors (see below), a majority of whom must be members in good standing of the Space Center Rotary Club. The officers include the chairman who oversees and approves all decisions affecting the operation of the Foundation; the vice chairman; the treasurer who prepares and monitors the budget, and pays the bills; and the secretary who keeps the minutes and also maintains the data base. One third of the directors are elected each June for three-year terms except for the Space Center Rotary (SCR) President who serves for one year while President.

The RNASA Committee serves the board and includes the directors, officers, corporate officers not serving as directors, the current Space Center Rotary Club president, the Foundation's historians, the Stellar Award's Committee chairman, the banquet facility coordinator in charge of ticket and table sales, the Foundation's contract lawyer, the Foundation's accountant who tallies the votes for the space trophy winner, the NASA and Air Force liaisons, the program book coordinator, the event production manager, the trophy coordinator, the webmaster, the publicity coordinator, and dedicated Rotarians who help with hospitality, logistics, mailings, ushering, and contacting speakers and guests.

The RNASA Foundation Board and Committee meet monthly to carry out the responsibilities of organizing, managing, and conducting the annual Rotary National Award for Space Achievement event.

2011 RNASA Committee Members

Back row L to R: Jayant Ramakrishnan, Daniel Weber, Bill Taylor (Vice Chairman), Robert Wren, Marcus Havican, Joseph Mayer, Duane Ross, Richard Larson.
Middle row L to R: Gary Johnson, Jack Lister, Shelley Baccus, Mary Alys Cherry, Rodolfo González (Chairman), Marianne Dyson, Jeannie Kranz, Floyd Bennett, Bill Geissler.
Front row L to R: L. Jean Walker (Secretary), Jennifer Mitchell, Geoff Atwater (Treasurer), Frank Perez, Irene Chan, Susan Gomez.
Not pictured: Kippy Caraway, Jeff Carr, David Coney, Jess Davis, Steven Fredrickson, Jacinda Green, Miguel Hernandez, Nicole Kem, Tim Kropp, Diana Norman, Branelle Rodriguez, and Lori Wheaton.

2011 RNASA Committee Members
Photo credit: J. Pamela Photography

2011 RNASA Board of Directors

(Terms expire in June of year shown)

Geoff Atwater (2014)

Kippy Caraway (2014)

Mary Alys Cherry (2013)

Mike Dennard (2012-SCR President)

Rodolfo González (Chairman, 2012)

Miguel Hernandez (2012)

Jayant Ramakrishnan (2013)

Duane Ross (2013)

Bill Taylor (Vice Chairman, 2012)

L. Jean Walker (2014)

2011 RNASA Officers

Geoff Atwater (Treasurer)
Rodolfo González (Chairman)
Bill Taylor (Vice Chairman)
L. Jean Walker (Secretary)

RNASA Honors Rear Adm. Clay Fulcher

Rear Adm. Clay Fulcher (USN, Ret.) 1933-2011.
Rear Adm. Clay Fulcher (USN, Ret.) 1933-2011.
The RNASA Foundation is sad to report the death of Rear Adm. Clay Fulcher (USN, Ret.) who served on the RNASA Foundation Board of Directors from 1991 to 2001, and as its chairman from 2000-01. He died on October 19, 2011 at his home in Temple, Texas. Fulcher graduated from UT in mechanical engineering in 1955 and then joined the Navy. He served as an engineering officer onboard the USS Formoe and the USS George Johnson. He returned to UT for his MSME in 1959. He then served as the XO/CO of the Naval Research and Naval Air Systems Command until retiring in 1989 with the rank of Rear Admiral.

He moved to Houston in 1962 as an employee of GE. He earned a PhD in ME at UH for work on a cooling garment worn by Apollo astronauts. He left GE in 1980, worked for a few years in the oil industry, and then returned to aerospace with McDonnell Douglas and Boeing during the shuttle program. He retired from Boeing in 1998 and formed Engineering Support Services Corp. which contributed to the Hubble repair missions.

Fulcher was very active in the community, including 11 years of service with the RNASA Foundation and five years on the Clear Creek ISD school board. "He was a well-liked and effective leader of the Foundation," current RNASA Foundation Chairman, Rodolfo González, said. "He will be missed very much." Fulcher is survived by his wife, Ann, four sons and their spouses, 11 grandchildren, and one great granddaughter.

See Fulcher's obituary as it appeared in the Houston Chronicle on Oct. 20, 2011.

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