Born on October 21, 1950, in an impoverished rural area in South Carolina, Dr. Ronald Erwin McNair was extraordinarily bright from a young age. He could read and write at just three years old and earned the nickname, “Gizmo,” because he was considered to be a mechanical genius.
Ronald McNair didn’t let the racial barriers he experienced growing up as an African American during Jim Crow deter him from his intellectual investigations and scientific pursuits.
At just nine years old, he walked alone for a mile from his home to the public library, only to be told by the librarian, “This library is not for coloreds.” Ronald said, “Well, I would like to check out these books.” She said, “Young man, if you don’t leave this library right now, I’m gonna call the police.” So, Ronald said, “I’ll wait.”
The librarian then called the police and Ronald’s mother — who hadn’t known where he was — and they came down to the library. Surprisingly, the police officer said, “You know, why don’t you just give the kid the books?” And nine-year-old Ronald got to read those books on advanced science and calculus.
Driven by his love of space science and a vision of race unity, Ronald understood the importance of focusing all of his attention on learning and discovering.
Ronald truly was a powerful force. He continued to work hard and persevere, determined to achieve his goals. Even when two years of his doctoral research on specialized laser physics was stolen, he managed to produce a second set of data in a year and earned his doctorate in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976.