Chaser Good girl!

First things first: Chaser was a dog, but indeed a special one. She was owned by Dr. John W. Pilley, a psychology professor at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. One of his favored fields of research was animal cognition, so perhaps it is not surprising he loved animals; Chaser was a gift from his wife, … Read more

From This is True for 28 July 2019

Christopher Kraft Jr. Flight director

In 1944, with a newly minted degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Virginia Tech, Kraft was hired by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, working on aeronautical research for 14 years until he was asked to take on a new assignment. That year, the organization was renamed to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Kraft … Read more

From This is True for 21 July 2019

Fernando Corbató Password inventor

Since his father was a Spanish Literature professor at the University of California in Los Angeles, Corbató enrolled at UCLA for college. That education was interrupted by World War II: he served in the U.S. Navy. During the war, Corbató’s job as an electronics technician was to “debug an incredible array of equipment being foisted … Read more

From This is True for 14 July 2019

Bob Gilliland Fast pilot

After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1949, Gilliland joined the newly independent U.S. Air Force, where he flew fighter jets. After patrolling post-World War II Germany, Gilliland, still only a second lieutenant, won his air wing’s “top gun” competition. During the Korean War, he flew 20 missions in F-84 fighters, and then was … Read more

From This is True for 7 July 2019

Luis Alvarez First responder

Born in Cuba, Alvarez emigrated to the U.S. as a child, and after high school served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Once released from the service, he continued in public service: he joined the New York Police Department in 1990. After being promoted to Detective and working in narcotics, including undercover, he decided to do … Read more

From This is True for 30 June 2019

Dave Bartholomew Rock pioneer

A musician, Bartholomew was a master on the trumpet, perhaps because his teacher had also taught another guy: Louis Armstrong. Bartholomew also had his own band, and wrote hit songs for other singers. When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he was cited as a key figure in the transition … Read more

From This is True for 24 June 2019

Francine Shapiro EMDR developer

A psychologist, Shapiro was out for a walk when she noticed something odd. She was recalling some problems in her life, and as she looked around as she was walking, the negative feelings toward those past issues diminished. Thinking she was onto something, she started researching whether a therapist guiding a patient to think about … Read more

From This is True for 16 June 2019

Bill Wittliff Screenwriter

Born in Texas, Wittliff studied journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, and became a writer and photographer, forming his own publishing company. In the 1970s he turned to screenwriting, co-writing Honeysuckle Rose, basing some of the events on his own childhood. The film starred singer Willie Nelson, and the two became friends. Wittliff agreed to … Read more

From This is True for 9 June 2019

Robert Bernstein Publisher

After a stint in the U.S. Army Air Corps, where he served in India as a staff sergeant, in 1946 Bernstein went to work at publisher Simon & Schuster — as a junior office boy. After learning the trade over the next 10 years he moved to Random House, where he rose to succeed founding … Read more

From This is True for 2 June 2019

Murray Gell-Mann Physicist

Born in New York to immigrant parents, Gell-Mann wanted to study archaeology or natural history; he also enjoyed linguistics (he spoke several languages) and ornithology. But, to please his father, he studied physics instead, even though physics was “the only course in which I did badly in high school, and hated it.” He earned his … Read more

From This is True for 26 May 2019