James Henry Deese

He was Chief of Facilities Design Branch, Kennedy Space Center from 1960 to 1964 Chief of the Advanced Studies Office of NASA Launch Operations Center from 1964 to 1966 Senior Research Administrator for the Future Studies Office at Kennedy Space Center from 1966 to 1973 and chaired the Nuclear and Radiologic Committee at Kennedy Space Center for six years.

James Henry Deese was born on September 23, 1914 in Graceville, Florida, of Lumbee Indian parentage and among the Scott Town Indian Community, to William Lawrence Deese and Maria Isabella Hand of North Carolina. Deese was cousin of American psychologist and academic James Deese. Deese attended Palmer Academy in DeFuniak Springs, Florida from 1920 to 1930. He attended Georgia Institute of Technology and the U.S. Naval Academy from 1931 to 1935, where he studied Electrical and Civil Engineering. He began work with the U.S. Government in 1935 with the Works Progress Administration as Project Information Specialist. In 1936 he joined Carrier Corporation as field project engineer installing first air conditioning in the U.S. Capital and the Federal Reserve Buildings. While in this capacity, he was contributing author of Carriers First Handbook of Modern Air Conditioning, Heating and Ventilation. In 1941, he transferred to Mobile, Alabama where he served as Construction Quartermaster at Broo

Source: Wikipedia