President Guy S. Gardner
12th President – The Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades

Guy S. Gardner, a former astronaut, U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and test pilot, teacher, and head of two schools, became the 12th president of the Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades on July 1, 2009.

President Gardner began his flying career in 1972 as a fighter pilot, flying 177 combat missions in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. He also served as an instructor and operational pilot at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. After attending test pilot school at Edwards Air Force Base in 1975, he served as a test pilot and instructor test pilot, including a tour of duty at Clark Air Base, Philippines, as a squadron operations officer.

From 1980-91, he served as a NASA astronaut, piloting two space shuttle missions. In 1988, he piloted Orbiter At- lantis, which carried a Department of Defense payload and was the second space shuttle launched after the Challenger disaster, and in 1990 he piloted the Orbiter Columbia, carry- ing an astronomy laboratory. He also worked in other areas of space shuttle and space station development and support.

In 1991, President Gardner served as the commander of the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

After retiring from the Air Force in 1992 as a colonel, he served at NASA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., as the initial director of the joint U.S.-Russian Shuttle-Mir space flight program, which made joint flights possible. After at- tending the Defense Systems’ Management College in 1994, he became director of the Quality Assurance Division, Of- fice of Safety and Mission Assurance.

In 1995, he joined the Federal Aviation Administration as director of the William J. Hughes Technical Center at the Atlantic City International Airport, N.J. He then moved to FAA headquarters in 1996 as the associate administrator for regulation and certification, leading the government organi- zation responsible for oversight and regulation of civil avia- tion safety.

From 1998-2001, after leaving government service, he served as a motivational/educational speaker to students across the country and, in 1999, fulfilled his second career aspiration — becoming a high school mathematics and phys- ics teacher in Virginia.

President Gardner has also served as principal and director of Omega Systems Group, Inc., a risk management consult- ing firm, and as vice president of Space Adventures, Ltd., a space tourism company.

From 2004-06, he served as director of super project de- velopment at Purdue University in Indiana where he helped manage research programs, taught engineering, and assisted the Development Office and Alumni Association in donor and alumni support.

From 2006 to 2009, he was superintendent of Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Ga., an independent boys college preparatory school serving 300 cadets, grades 7-12.

President Gardner was born in Altavista and grew up in Alexandria, Va. He earned a bachelor of science degree with majors in astronautics, mathematics, and engineering sci- ence from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1969, graduating fifth in a class of 683; a master of science degree in aeronau- tics and astronautics from Purdue University in 1970, being named an Outstanding Aerospace Engineer; and a master of arts degree in education from Virginia Tech in 2000, being certified in mathematics and physics.

Additionally, he has taken numerous flight, leadership, and management courses, including program management courses at the Defense Systems Management College. In the Air Force, he attended Air Command and Staff College, Experimental Test Pilot School (where he was the top gradu- ate), Pilot Training (where he was the top graduate), and In- structor Pilot School.

He has served on various boards; been an adult and youth Sunday school teacher; speaker to school, church, and civic groups; church youth group leader; and Explorer Post lead- er.

He has received two Defense Superior Service Medals, the Air Force Legion of Merit, the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, 14 Air Medals, the Test Pilot School Outstanding Academic Instructor and Outstanding Flying Instructor, Top Graduate in Test Pilot School, Top Graduate in Pilot Training, Distinguished Graduate of the Air Force Academy, and Outstanding Aerospace Engineer of Purdue University.

He and his wife Linda, who for many years was an elemen- tary school teacher in public and private Christian schools, have three adult children, Jennifer, Sarah, and Jason, and three grandchildren.