Dr. Byron D. Tapley, a 1951 Pasadena High School graduate and current chairman of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, was named the Pasadena Independent School District’s 2009 Distinguished Alumnus.

Tapley will formally be presented with the award at a special reception to be held in his honor at 6:30 p.m., March 12 at the Pasadena ISD Administration Building, 1515 Cherrybrook.

Tapley was raised in Pasadena and attended Kruse Elementary and Jackson Junior High (now Jackson Intermediate) before his graduation from Pasadena High School. He then graduated from the University of Texas in 1956 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He also earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from University of Texas.

As chairman of the Department of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas, he has helped it evolve into one of the top 10 programs in the nation. Under his leadership, the university’s Center for Space Research is an internationally-ranked center for research.

Among Tapley’s many achievements, he established the Orbit Mechanics Program at the university and developed it into an internationally recognized program of excellence for graduate study in space research and applications. In addition, Tapley has served as a director for the Texas Space Grant Consortium and an advisor to the National Research Council. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

For the past 11 years, the Distinguished Alumnus recognizes a Pasadena ISD graduate who has made significant contributions to society and whose accomplishments and career have brought credit to the Pasadena school district.