This week in black history

Dr. Ronald E. McNair (1), Major Frederick D. Gregory (r) and Major Guion S. Bluford were named to take part in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Space Shuttle Program on this day. McNair, a physicist and mission specialist, was killed in an explosion aboard the space shuttle Challenger in January 1986. Bluford, a veteran Air Force pilot, who served as a mission specialist on four shuttle flights, is retired from NASA. He currently works for Federal Data Corporation in Bethesda, MD, as vice president and general manager. Gregory, an Air Force pilot as well, commanded three space missions from 1985 to 1991. He remains at NASA working as acting associate administrator for the Office of Space Flight.

January 18, 1966--

Dr. Robert C. Weaver, educator, economist, and government official, took the post of Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on this day. Nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson, Weaver's appointment also made him the first Black to serve on a U.S. Presidential Cabinet. Weaver was born December 19, 1907 in Washington, D.C. Dr. Weaver graduated from Harvard University in 1929 with a degree in economics. He later earned his master's and doctorate degrees from Harvard University. He advised President Franklin D. Roosevelt on housing, education and employment issues during the 1930s and 1940s. He was named national chairman of the NAACP in 1960 and 1962. Weaver wrote more than 175 articles and four books on housing and urban issues including Negro Labor; A National Problem and The Negro Ghetto. He died July 17, 1997 at his home in New York City.