ScienceMakers Toolkit Manual - The History Makers

Engineering
Brothers graduated from Boston Latin School, the oldest high school in the nation, in 1960. He then
graduated from Boston University in 1964 with his B.S. degree in aeronautical engineering. Brothers then
fulfi lled a childhood ambition by joining the United States Air Force, where he served for the next twenty-two
years. Brothers began his Air Force career as a pilot and eventually became a top Air Force test pilot. In 1972,
Brothers served in the Foreign Technology Division of Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
Brothers became chief of the Communications Satellite Group and chief of the Ballistic Missile Facility
Branch. While there, he developed the fi rst engineering models of foreign space satellites to support the emerging
United States Defense Initiative requirements. Recognized as a national authority, Brothers authored fi fteen
studies and publications throughout the course of his career.
In 1976, Brothers earned his Master’s in Public Administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco,
California, and in 1980, he received his Master’s degree in Program Management from Central Michigan
University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Brothers went on to become professor and department head for
aerospace studies at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. While at Wright State, Brothers focused on
encouraging the development of African American engineering students and pilot candidates. Subsequently, the
graduation and commission rates for students in the AFROTC increased by 90% during Brothers’ tenure.
Brothers also served as adjunct professor of engineering at Indiana Institute for Technology, teaching fl uid
dynamics from 1991 to 1994. Brothers earned his Ph.D. in business administration from Century University in
2001 and went on to serve as Program Manager and Systems Analysis Laboratory Manager for Raytheon Systems
Company, C3S, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
In addition to his professional activities, Brothers was an active volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America and a
board member of the African and African American Museum in Fort Wayne.
Discussion Questions
Personal:
1. What did you like best about listening to Dr. Brothers?
2. What do you think Dr. Brothers’ favorite quote means? What does this tell you about him?
3. Where was Dr. Brothers born? Locate it on a map. How far away is this from where you live? What are
the names of his parents? Where did Dr. Brothers attend high school? What do you suppose high school
was like for him?
4. How old are you? In what year was Dr. Brothers your age? What was happening in the country that
year? What was happening in the world that year? What do you suppose his life was like when he was
your age?
5. Dr. Brothers had a hard time learning math in high school though his SAT scores showed that he was
capable of doing math. What caused this discrepancy? What did his teacher do to help solve the
problem? Have you ever faced a situation like this? Were you able to explain your frustration to your
teacher? Studies show that each person has a different style of learning. How do you learn best? Is it
by reading information, hearing information, working things out with your hands, or another method?
What techniques can you use to help you retain information that is tailored to your learning style? Have
you communicated your learning preferences to your teacher? Have you communicated your learning
preferences to your parents? What are some other ways you can communicate how you learn best?
(See Clip #1)
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