Post by Clemson Alumni Association

At the 2026 Golden Tiger Reunion, we had the privilege of recognizing a Diamond Tiger, Otha H. “Skeet” Vaughan Jr. ’51, M ’59, who celebrated the 75th anniversary of his graduation from Clemson. Vaughan began attending Clemson in 1946 to study mechanical engineering and participated in the Air Force ROTC program. He later also earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. Vaughan spent over 45 years with the Army Ballistic Missile Agency and NASA, his work and research directly contributing to the rockets that sent the first humans to the moon. He authored or co-authored 90 technical reports and articles on topics spanning aerodynamic heating, missile performance, lunar mobility, zero-gravity fluids, atmospheric physics and atmospheric electricity.