Dennis W Vernon's Obituary
Dennis W. Vernon, 80, went Home to be with the Lord on September 16, 2011, in San Bernardino, California. He was born in Eldon, Missouri on August 22, 1931 to Truman and Nell Vernon. He was a resident of San Bernardino for 37 years.
He married Jan Curry, the love of his life, on June 20, 1953 in Kansas City, Kansas. Together they had four children: Connie, of Houston, Texas; Scott, of Chandler, Arizona; Brett and his wife Karen, of Tracy, California; and Michelle of San Bernardino. Known as Denny by many family members and friends, he is also survived by his brother Dale and wife Pat, of Kansas City, Kansas, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Dennis earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kansas in 1956, and his Master’s of Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California in 1966. His career began at Rocketdyne where he determined the fundamentals of the rocket engine design which launched Apollo to the moon. To this day, it is the largest liquid fueled rocket engine ever flown.
In 1960, he was hired by TRW despite only having a Bachelor’s degree, and spent the next six years at night school earning his Master’s. In 1966, he was transferred to Houston to work on the Apollo program, managing TRW’s largest team there. He was an integral part of the return of Apollo 13 safely to earth, and was interviewed by News Anchor Eric Sevareid for his evening news program.
In 1974, he moved to the Ballistic Missile Office in San Bernardino, supporting the Air Force’s ICBM developments for TRW. He was in charge of stage 3, then stage 4 of the MX Peacekeeper Missile. Later, he championed and was in charge of the Migetman missile development which flew in 1991.
Dennis retired in 1992 after 32 years with TRW. As a rocket designer, he had worked on every project the US launched into space including Mercury and the Space Shuttle. A plaque bearing his signature went to the moon on Apollo 15, where it remains to this day.
He was an Eagle Scout and served as the Scout Committee Chairman in Clear Lake, Texas. He was also the driving force behind the establishment and building of a dedicated Scout facility there.
He was a long time member of Immanuel Baptist Church in Highland, California, having held the offices of Deacon and Trustee, and was Chairman of each board several times over the years. He also headed up several building fund campaigns and was involved in other church ministries.
Services will be held at Immanuel Baptist Church on Friday, September 23, 2011 at 10:00, followed by a reception in the fellowship hall. Internment will be at Montecito Memorial Park at 2:00. There will be a visitation and viewing Thursday evening from 5:00 to 7:00 at Bobbitt Memorial Chapel in San Bernardino.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Dennis Vernon to the Building Fund of Immanuel Baptist Church, located at 28355 Baseline Street, Highland, CA 92346.
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