Jerry C. Elliott-High Eagle

Jerry Chris Elliott High Eagle (born 1943) is a physicist and was one of the first American Indians to work at NASA. Elliott's work awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor awarded by the President of the United States.

Early life High Eagle, from the age of five, had a vision of assisting astronauts to get to the moon. While supported by some members in his family and community, he was faced with opposition due to his race. He was Program Staff Engineer at the NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC during the Apollo–Soyuz Program. Elliott and his team provided ground support equipment and space hardware for Skylab, the United States' first space station. He was the only indigenous native person on the control team. He served on the mission control team during Apollo 11's successful Moon landing. Elliott played an instrumental role in computing the trajectory and successful recovery back to Earth during the events of Apollo 13. His efforts during the events of the disaster awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Richard Nixon

Accomplishing his boyhood vision of landing men on the Moon, Elliott continued work at NASA for a total of four decades. Some of Elliott's personal papers during the Apollo era are held at the Oklahoma History Center. Elliott cites his mother and Albert Einstein as his personal heroes. He enjoys playing the guitar and Indian flute. His work in music has led to him performing in the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. He is the founder and CEO of High Eagle Technologies, Inc, a native company dedicated to cancer research and treatment with patented technology he was awarded in 2019.

Mr. Elliott authored the Congressional legislation for Native American Awareness Week, 1976, for the first historic week of observance for the American Indian in the history of the United States. The legislation was passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Gerald R. Ford.

Awards and recognition Cherokee Medal of Honor Presidential Medal of Freedom Medal of Honor Award, highest national honor bestowed by The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, for high ethical conduct and contributions to humanity, 1991. State of Tennessee Special Proclamation by Governor and Tennessee Legislature honoring meritorious achievements in science, music and contributions to humanity, February 7, 2007. Ely Samuel Parker Award, highest honor bestowed by the American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES), Inc., for lifetime career achievements and community service. Bausch and Lomb National Science Award. Science and Engineering National Achievement Award, presented by the American Indian Art and Cultural Exchange, 1976. National Chairperson, Native American Awareness Week, October 10–16, 1976. He authored congressional legislation signed by President Gerald R. Ford. Bronze Halo Award by the Southern California Motion Picture Council for outstanding contributions to humanity, 1983. Special Achievement Award by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lewis Research Center (now Glenn Research Center), Cleveland, Ohio, for meritorious achievements, and exceptional contributions to research, planning, organization and conduct of responsibilities relating to space and technology programs. 1978. Group Achievement Award by NASA Langley Research Center, 1981. National Science Spectrum Trailblazer Award, 2006, for significant, quantifiable, personal impact on industry and their communities in maintaining a powerful position of influence regarding public policy. Sequoyah Fellow Honor, American Indian Science & Engineering Society, 2003 Teacher Award, presented by the American Indian Science & Engineering Society, Inc., 2004 Science Spectrum Trailblazers Award, presented by Science Spectrum Magazine, 2006 Oklahoma 2011 Indian Elder Distinguished Honoree, bestowed by the American Assoc. of Retired, for outstanding achievements/contributions to his tribe, community and state, 2011 Poet Laurette, Nominated for distinction of State of Oklahoma, Poet Laurette, 2017 NWC Hall of Fame, inducted November 1, 2019, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 2019 Nominated for the Technical Excellence Award, American Indian Science & Engineering Society, Inc., 2020.