Birth: Oct. 13, 1924
Shelby
Cleveland County
North Carolina, USA
Death: May 15, 2007
Bakersfield
Kern County
California, USA
HEDGEPETH, Mary Tuttle Whisnant "Tut" of Bakersfield, passed
away on May 15, 2007, after a short illness. Mrs. Hedgepeth was born on October
13, 1924, in Shelby, North Carolina, to Earl and Emeline Whisnant. Most of her
youth was spent in Elizabethton, Tennessee. She attended the Woman's College of
the University of North Carolina, in Greensboro, from which she graduated, with
a degree in Mathematics, in 1946. She was a lifetime and devoted member of the
Methodist Church. After her graduation from college, Tut embarked on an
intriguing and rewarding career, which included an initial position as a
"computer" for the N.A.C.A., the forerunner of today's NASA, at Langley Field,
Virginia. In 1947, she transferred from Langley Field to the Air Force Flight
Test Center, at Edwards Air Force Base (then known as Muroc Air Base) at which
the bulk of her career was spent, working for both NASA and the Air Force. While
at Edwards, Tut worked as the Chief of the Mathematical Analysis and Programming
Branch. In that position she was privileged to work on projects involving many
of our country's experimental aircraft, such as the storied X-1, and to work
alongside many of the pioneers of the space program. Her role in the development
of our nation's flight test program was such that she was featured in a recent
Washington, D.C. study project on the history of women's roles in NASA. After 33
years of government service, Tut was asked by the General Dynamics Corporation
to supervise testing projects on the AFTI F-16 research program, a position
which she enjoyed for an additional twelve
years. Tut was married to John Hedgepeth, at the chapel at Langely Field, in
August of 1947, and enjoyed nearly six decades of loving marriage. Most of their
married life was spent in Lancaster, but following their retirements they moved
to Bakersfield, to be closer to their grandchildren. Even in retirement, Tut
remained busy, traveling, enjoying her grandchildren, and serving as a lap
reader at Bakersfield's Discovery Elementary School, where she was
affectionately known as "Miss Tut" for a period of twelve years. A great
retirement treasure was the dedication to her of Discovery School's 2005-2006
yearbook, Memories. She considered a much greater treasure, however, the
privilege of reading to and touching the lives of so many of Bakersfield's
children. Tut is survived by her husband of 59 years, John, son Lee and
daughter-in-law Rochelle of Modesto, grandchildren Pat and T.C. of Modesto,
daughter-in-law Donna Livingston of Elk Grove, sister Emily Wier of New
Tazewell, Tennessee, and sister Betty Farrar of Sarasota, Florida. She was
preceded in death, sadly, by her son, Ted.
See also interview at http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/oral_histories/NASA_HQ/Herstory/HedgepethM/HedgepethM_6-12-01.htm