to the Medal of Honor Host City , his mother ’ s hometown , where he graduated from high school in 1942 .
After graduation at the age of 16 , he entered the U . S . Military Academy . His military career would span nearly 40 years , with most of his positions in specialized technical activities , such as the science adviser to the Physics Division of the Air Force Special Weapons Center .
He would serve in the Space Technology Office of the Secretary of Defense , chief of staff for the Air Force Systems Command at Andrews Air Force Base ( Maryland ), deputy to the Director of Central Intelligence , director of the National Security Agency and commander of the Air Force Systems Command .
Following his retirement , he became director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory during the Voyager space probes of 1977 , and served as director of the JPL until 1990 .
From 1993 to 1995 , he was a member of the President ’ s Foreign Intelligence Advisory board and the Intelligence Oversight Board .
He died in Virginia in 2010 at the age of 84 , and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery .
The General Lew Allen , Jr . Award form the Air Force is named in his honor , recognized an officer and a senior non-commissioned officer in the aircraft maintenance / munitions field . His awards include two Defense Distinguished Service medals , two Air Force Distinguished Service medals and three Legion of Merit decorations , among others .
The minor planet 4125 Lew Allen is named in his honor .
Charles ‘ Chuck ’ Curtis
If you followed Texas high school football in the 1960s , 70s and 80s , there ’ s a decent chance you might ’ ve heard of Chuck Curtis .
The son of a Gainesville minister , Curtis attended GISD and played quarterback for the Leopards in the late 1940s and early 1950s .
When Curtis entered his senior year , his father moved to Williamson County , but permitted Curtis to remain in a garage apartment in Gainesville to keep his eligibility .
He was recruited out of high school by Texas Christian , leading them to the 1955 Southwest Conference championship and the 1957 Cotton Bow .
Curtis was selected 85th overall in the 1957 NFL draft by the New York Giants .
After one season , he returned to Texas for the start of a lengthy and successful high school coaching career .
He compiled a 138-48-3 overall
record at that level , heading programs in Holliday , Jacksboro , Garland , Grand Prairie , Cleburne and Aledo .
He spent time as an assistant coach for Southern Methodist University , and got his first head coaching gig in college at the University of Texas at Arlington in 1984 . UTA discontinued its football program after the end of the 1985 season .
He would go on to coach the Aledo Bearcats during the final years of his career .
12 GAINESVILLE LIVING