Dale Hawkins is a retired electronics engineer and aviator who has been cheering for NASA since the days of Gemini and Mariner 4. He began his career in the U.S. Naval Submarine Service in 1975. After an early retirement for medical reasons, he was quickly recruited as a volunteer for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary where he became an aviator, flight instructor, communications specialist, and flotilla commander. |Dale continued his engineering career as a civilian in biomedical electronics, earning a patent for a safe medical device interconnection system, sat on a number of international standards committees, and headed up a team to design a medical infusion pump for the International Space Station.|Today Dale lives in Tehachapi, California, where he enjoys supporting local youth activities, including representing the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He is also an avid astronomer, enjoys writing, plays chess, and teaches martial arts.|