Gene Kranz

Eugene F. "Gene" Kranz (17 August, 1933–) is a retired NASA flight director and manager. Kranz, who served as a flight director during Project Gemini and Project Apollo, is best known for his trademark buzz-cut hairstyle and the wearing of white vests of different styles and materials whenever his "White Team" was on duty during missions, but was best known for his role in saving the crew of Apollo 13.

Early Years

Kranz was born in Toledo, Ohio and grew up on a farm that overlooked the Willys-Overland Jeep production plant. His father, a son of a German immigrant and an Army medic during World War I, died in 1940, when Kranz was only 7 years old. Kranz graduated from Parks College of Saint Louis University in 1954, and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, completing pilot training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas in 1955. Shortly after receiving his wings, Kranz married Marta Cadena, a daughter of Mexican immigrants who fled from Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. Kranz was sent to South Korea to fly the F-86 "Sabre" aircraft for patrol operations around the Korean DMZ.

Related Topics:
Toledo, Ohio - World War I - Parks College - Saint Louis University - 1954 - Second Lieutenant - U.S. Air Force - Lackland Air Force Base - 1955 - South Korea - F-86 "Sabre"

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After finishing his tour in Korea, Kranz left the Air Force and went to work for the McDonnell-Douglas Aircraft Corporation, where he assisted with the research and testing of new Surface-to-Air (SAM) and Air-to-Ground missles for the U.S. Air Force at its research center at Holloman Air Force Base.

Related Topics:
McDonnell-Douglas Aircraft Corporation - Holloman Air Force Base

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