Easterling, Mahlon F., 1921-2000.

Mahlon Easterling received a BS degree in 1949 and a MS degree in 1951 from Columbia University, in the subject of Electrical Engineering. Easterling remained at Columbia as an Assistant Professor for three years. In 1954 he joined the Schlumberger Oil Well Surveying Corp. of Houston, Texas. In 1958, he joined the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. During the 1960s, Easterling was a Senior Project Engineer in the Telecommunications Division at JPL. In the early 1970s, Easterling became manager of Section 410, TDA Planning. In 1971, Easterling was a charter member of the Environmental Quality Laboratory, organized at California Institute of Technology (Caltech). EQL's initial focus was on the reduction of automobile emissions. Easterling retired from JPL in 1979, but returned for a few years as a consultant. Easterling was honored with NASA's Exceptional Service Medal in 1977, and NASA's Outstanding Leadership Medal in 1979.