JOSEPH HEYMAN ’61

Joseph Heyman’s ’61 earliest inspiration was his entrepreneurial father, Sam Heyman, the inventor of folding aluminum furniture. His passion for science, particularly space science, was nurtured at Tabor, where he enjoyed physics, astronomy, music, photography and golf.

As if his stars aligned, Northeastern University awarded him a NASA cooperative work assignment at the Langley Research Center (LaRC) in Hampton, VA for just one semester. About 40 years later, he retired as the Chief Technologist; he was there for a bit longer than one semester! Joe worked on many of NASA’s most important projects: Viking Lander (first human lab on Mars), Shuttle Return to Flight (after the Challenger accident), and the Aging Aircraft Program (after the Aloha 737 ripped apart in flight).

Joe’s research produced 34 patents, hundreds of publications and presentations, numerous awards, and the creation of the largest Nondestructive Evaluation Laboratory in the world—which embraced broader research disciplines, such as ultrasonics, thermography, radiation physics, eddy-current diagnostics, and other electromagnetic sensing. Joe was inducted into Langley’s Hall of Honor where 80 people, out of 12,000 who worked at LaRC, are so honored.

After retiring in 2001, Joe directed a small company, later bought by Luna Innovations, serving as their Chief Scientist until retiring once again in 2008.

Joe returned to photography, one of his Tabor passions, teaching at the College of William and Mary’s continuing education program. For decades he enjoyed teaching popular classes, exhibiting in art shows and museums, traveling the world, and publishing several photography books. His book, People of the World, resulted in numerous invitations to exhibit his work at several galleries along the East Coast. An image he shared shows the Taj Mahal, bringing a unique perspective to this familiar treasure.

With his wife Berna, he enjoys New York mountain summers in their 1791 home built by Col. Peter Vroman, a revolutionary war leader. Life is interesting – stay curious!