During thirteen of his twenty years as a Naval Aviator, Captain Eugene A. Cernan was directly involved in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He flew on three NASA missions, was the second man to walk in space, was the pilot of Gemini IX, one of three crewmen on the Apollo X mission to the moon, and, as commander of Apollo XVII, was the most recent man to leave his footprints on the moon.

Following his retirement from the Navy in 1976, Cernan studied at the Wharton School of Finance and at Northwestern University. His studies found direct application as, during that period, he was developing a world-wide supply and marketing strategy for Coral Petroleum, Inc. where he served as director and executive vice president-international.

In 1986 Captain Cernan joined Digital Equipment Corporation as an executive consultant - aerospace and government for the Government Systems Group, a position he held until 1992. Through the Cernan Corporation and the Cernan Group, Inc., Captain Cernan now provides technical and marketing consulting for space-related technology. He also acts as a special consultant to ABC Television for news and documentary coverage of space-related subjects.

A 1956 graduate of Purdue, Captain Cernan earned his MS degree in aeronautical engineering from the United States Naval Post Graduate School. His many awards range from the Navy Distinguished Flying Cross to a television Emmy! He has been awarded four honorary doctorates, including one from Purdue University in 1970.

Active in numerous professional and educational organizations, he is a member of the Board of Directors of Up With People, and of the Board of Trustees of the U. S. Naval Museum Foundation and the Hope for a Drug-Free America Foundation.