Newsmakers FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 9, 2003 Contact: Robin Micket (860) 548-7894 Rensselaer at Hartford Alumnus and Apollo 13 Astronaut Inducted Posthumously into Rensselaer’s 2003 Alumni Hall of Fame Astronaut John "Jack" L. Swigert, Jr., (1931-1982), Class of 1965. Courtesy, NASA HARTFORD, CONN – Astronaut John "Jack" L. Swigert, Jr., (1931-1982), Class of 1965, who earned a graduate degree at Rensselaer at Hartford, was one of eight new members inducted into Rensselaer’s 2003 Alumni Hall of Fame during a private ceremony held September 19 at the Troy campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. An Air Force fighter pilot and engineering test pilot, Swigert earned a master’s degree in aerospace science from Rensselaer’s Hartford campus in 1965 and in 1966 was selected by NASA in its fifth astronaut class. Assigned to the backup crew of the Apollo 13 mission to the moon, he replaced the prime command pilot just days before take-off. Swigert, Jim Lovell, and Fred Haise were forced to abort the mission when an oxygen tank exploded; they converted their lunar module into a lifeboat, conserving enough power to assure their survival in the harrowing journey back to Earth. Swigert was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1970. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado in November 1982, but died of bone cancer one month later before he could be sworn in. The state of Colorado placed a statue of Swigert in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in 1997. The Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) created the Alumni Hall of Fame in 1995 to preserve and celebrate the exceptional heritage of alumni accomplishments throughout the years. Since Rensselaer’s founding in 1824, distinguished alumni and leaders of the Institute have forged frontiers in industry, science, education, and technology. The newest class of inductees brings to 49 the number of members in the Hall of Fame. For more information on the inductees and on the Alumni Hall of Fame, please visit: www.rpi.edu/dept/NewsComm/sub/fame/. # # #