Roy Vincent Harris, Jr.

Roy Vincent Harris Jr. graduated from the Academy of Richmond County in 1954. The only child of Georgia attorney and politician Roy V. Harris Sr. and his wife Mary Lewis Harris, Roy Jr. was born on November 10, 1935. During his time at ARC, he was a member of the JROTC and the football and track teams. He also acquired his private pilot’s license and became a member of the Civil Air Patrol. In 1953, he was chosen as one of only 110 cadets in the U.S. to be exchanged to Switzerland in the International CAP exchange program. There he learned to fly sailplanes.

 

After graduation from ARC, Harris continued his education at Georgia Tech, participating in the Air Force ROTC and continuing to fly as a member of the Tech Flying Club. During the summers, he worked as a flight instructor at Augusta Aviation and flew power line patrols, dusted for mosquitos, and did crop dusting for farmers.

 

Harris was a member of Sigma Gamma Tau Honor Society and Dean’s List while at Georgia Tech. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering, he took a position at the NACA Langley Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia as a Research Engineer. In 1959, he was called into active duty in the US Air Force, but was assigned back to his same position at the re-named NASA Langley Research Center. He reverted to civilian status after 3 ½ years and continued his research on supersonic aerodynamics, publishing over thirty technical reports. An early pioneer in computer use in aerodynamic problems, he published the first computer code for calculating supersonic wave drag of complete aircraft configurations, advanced versions of which remain in use in 2018. His work enabled accurate analysis and design of supersonic cruise aircraft.

 

 In 1973, Harris became Branch Head of the Advanced Configurations Branch and the following year received promotion to Chief of the High-Speed Aerodynamics Division. In 1985, he became the Center’s Director for Aeronautics and, in 1994, Assistant Director of Research and Engineering, Office of the Director. In 1995, he took on the additional responsibility as the NASA Facility Group Director for Wind Tunnels and Aerothermodynamics Facilities. After retiring in 1998, he continued working as a consultant to government and industry, spending much time as a volunteer technical advisor and board member of the NASA Aerospace Support Team. In his career, he served on many national teams, advising and providing technical support.

 

Harris held positions in many professional organizations, including as a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), where he has served as its VP for Technical Activities, Technical Director, Director at Large, Chair of the Aircraft Design Technical Committee, and as a member of the Honors and Awards Committee, the International Activities Committee, and representative to the International Council of Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS). He is also a member of the ICAS Executive Committee and is an honorary Fellow. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to the advancement of aeronautical technology in this country. Among them are the AIAA Reed Aeronautics Award, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the ICAS Roy Medal for outstanding contributions to international collaboration, the AUAA Sustained Service Award, and the AIAA Distinguished Service Award. In 1991, he received the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award from President George H.W. Bush. In 2017, the Langley Research Center inducted him into its Hall of Honor.