Gen. Samuel Phillips graduated from the University of
Wyoming with a B.S. in electrical engineering and went on to obtain his
master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan in
1950.
Phillips was commissioned a second
lieutenant, Infantry, after completion of Reserve Officers Training Corps. He
then entered active military service, transferred to the Army Air Corps,
attended flying school and earned his pilot wings. After earning his pilot
wings during World War II, he served with the 364th Fighter Group, Eighth Air
Force, in England and completed two combat tours of duty in the European
Theater of Operations. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak
Leaf Cluster, Air Medal with Seven Oak Leaf Clusters, and the French Croix de
Guerre.
After the war, Phillips was assigned to
the European Theater headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. In July 1947, he was
transferred to Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.
Phillips' most notable appointment was as the director of
the Apollo Lunar Landing Program. On Sept. 26, 1971, he was
awarded the Smithsonian Institution's Langley Medal for his contributions to
the Apollo space program. He was the 14th recipient of the Langley Medal since
the award was first presented to the Wright Brothers in 1909. He served
as the seventh director of the National Security Agency from 1972-73, and
as commander for the Air Force Systems Command from 1973-75. Also, Phillips was
elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for
his leadership and direction of the Minuteman weapon system and the Apollo
programs.
Phillips
retired from the Air Force in 1975 at the rank of Four-Star General.
Photo courtesy of UW Photo Services.
