Winds of Change - Spring 2017 - 30

WE LOOK BACK TO OUR START
AND AHEAD TO THE FUTURE
AISES BY THE
NUMBERS
40 YEARS ON

Almost 4,000 members
190 chartered College
Chapters
15 Professional Chapters
158 affiliated pre-college
schools
$10.3 million in scholarships
awarded to date
More than 5,000 scholarship
recipients
George Thomas and Jerry
Elliott High Eagle discussing
the formation of the NSAIE with
NASA's Chris Kraft and others

THE FOUNDATION
FOUNDING MEMBERS

"Creating an organization at the time that they did was challenging to say the least, and it's amazing it has lasted 40 years. We need to step
back and understand and appreciate the work that went in and not take it for granted and honor the people before us who have come through
this organization. We are all so appreciative that they made this possible." - SARAH ECHOHAWK
MOHAWK
Often called the "Father of
AISES" for his visionary early
leadership, A.T. "Andy"
Anderson grew up on a
reservation in Ontario and
earned a degree in chemistry at
McMaster University. At the beginning of World War II
he joined Union Carbide, where he spent a long and
distinguished career as a chemical engineer. He
received commendations from Presidents Ford and
Carter for his work on the American Indian Policy
Review Commission. While in Washington he
became increasingly concerned about the need to
attract Native people to STEM fields, which led to his
commitment to AISES. Anderson secured the
funding for the foundational meeting in Arkansas,
and he served as the first executive director until his
death in 1983. The A.T. Anderson Memorial
Scholarship honors his many contributions.

JERRY ELLIOTT
HIGH EAGLE

CHEROKEE AND OSAGE
For Jerry Elliott High Eagle,
pursuing a degree in physics
at the University of Oklahoma
made sense from his Native
perspective of perceiving all
things as connected. He joined NASA after
graduating and launched a 41-year career. As a
27-year-old lead retrofire officer at Mission Control
in Houston, he was on the team that brought back
the imperiled Apollo 13 astronauts. For his role in
their safe return, High Eagle was awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest
civilian honor. Among his many other awards is the
highest AISES honor: the Ely S. Parker Award. Since
retiring he has pursued many interests, from music
performance and composition to scientific research.

30 WINDS OF CHANGE * SPRING 2017

CAROL METCALF-GARDIPE

PENOBSCOT AND
PASSAMAQUODDY
After completing graduate work
in geography and natural
resources, Carol Metcalf-Gardipe
was instrumental in launching
the first American Indian
engineering program at the University of New
Mexico, working with Dr. Bob Whitman, an early
member of AISES and Board chair. When Al
Qöyawayma heard about the program, he offered
Metcalf-Gardipe his support. From there the two of
them joined A.T. Anderson to form the American
Indian Engineering Council (AIEC). Through this
group Metcalf-Gardipe became involved in founding
AISES and served on the first Board of Directors,
where she helped create foundational programs and
activities. Her career spanned the U.S. Geological
Survey and NOAA as well as higher education, and
she was active in several other organizations,
including the American Association for the
Advancement of Science. A serious auto accident in
1983 limited her activities in subsequent years.

AL QÖYAWAYMA

HOPI
Nationally acclaimed potter
and bronze sculptor "Al Q"
spent his STEM career in
systems and mechanical
engineering and holds several
patents. When he met A.T.
Anderson at a conference, the two discovered their
common interest in creating opportunities for
Native young people, an impulse that eventually
led to AISES. Qöyawayma was elected the first
chair of the Board of Directors and in the early
years he ran the organization's operations from his
business office in Phoenix. He continues to be an
active member.

JIM SHORTY

NAVAJO
With a background that includes
law as well as geology and
hydrology, Jim Shorty played a
principal role in drafting the
AISES bylaws and navigating
other legal aspects of launching
the organization, which he continued to support as
a member of the Board of Directors. With Carol
Metcalf-Gardipe, Shorty was also part of founding
the University of New Mexico's Native American
engineering program, which he directed before
joining Sandia National Laboratories.

GEORGE THOMAS

CHEROKEE
With master's degrees in nuclear
engineering and business
administration, George Thomas
had a wide-ranging career that
included roles in STEM,
management, and college
teaching. At the time AISES was founded, Thomas
was directing First Americans - Tomorrow's
Engineers, a University of Oklahoma program for
Native engineering students. Seeing the national
need, he approached Jerry Elliott High Eagle, and
they formed the National Society of American
Indian Engineers (NSAIE) - another step toward
AISES, where he later served as the second chair of
the Board of Directors.

1980 AISES
National Conference
in Denver
aises.org

COURTESY OF JERRY ELLIOTT HIGH EAGLE

A.T. ANDERSON

http://www.aises.org

Winds of Change - Spring 2017

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