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Famous LDS People: Scientists

After Philo figured out how to make a T.V. set, it took him several years to find the financial backing to actually try it. Once he had the financing, Philo's first T.V. filled the room with smoke and sounded like it was exploding. However, with time, his dream became . . . T.V.!

Philo didn't believe in giving up, even against seemingly insurmountable odds. He once said, "The difficult we do at once; the impossible takes a little longer."

Don Lind, Astronaut
As a boy, Lind and his friends loved to pretend to be astronauts. Their rocket was an old elm tree, and they would create their own sound effects as they sped through space. Years later, those dreams were still with Lind, but it took much effort and determination to make it happen.

Lind applied to be an astronaut three times before being accepted in the program. His first application was turned down because he wasn’t a test pilot, and at the time, that was the only type of person NASA was looking for. Lind even flew to Houston and still received a "no." The next time he applied, he met all the requirements except that he was exactly 77 days too old. Again he was rejected by the space program.

Finally, the third time Lind applied, he was given a chance to "audition." To become an astronaut, you have to undergo an intense physical exam. Most of the men taking the exam collapsed at about 18 minutes of intense physical stress. Lind went for 24 minutes and got a superior rating. He credits this to his keeping of the Word of Wisdom, since a smoker would certainly have more difficulty under such a severe physical test. He says, "This was a test on which you couldn’t cheat--they were recording every beat of your heart, your blood pressure, and all the rest. You might have the physical endurance to just "guts" your way through if you were a smoker, but you certainly couldn’t control your heart and the other physical factors being monitored. A number of people collapsed at the end of this test, but I had the satisfaction of walking under my own power down the steps to the table where I was to lie down until my heart came back to normal action."

Next, there was the interview with the NASA Selection Board. Everything went great until someone asked if Lind would need to continue his activity in the Church. Lind answered that he would continue and that he didn’t see any reason that it would interfere with the space program.

Lind was accepted into the NASA program! He says that people sometimes ask him how to prepare to become an astronaut, and his advice is "Always do your very best. That is a trite statement, or you may think it is. The sad thing is that many young people do not realize how significant it is until it is too late. For doing or not doing your best has underlying effects that can make or break your attainment."

Quotes from: Win if You Will, Paul H. Dunn, Bookcraft, 1972

Alan Ashton, Computer Programmer and Businessman Alan C. Ashton is a computer programmer, turned businessman, turned philanthropist. As a co-founder of WordPerfect Corporation, he grew the company from 2 employees to more than 5,000 employees, with revenues over $700 million. In 1994, WordPerfect was sold to Novell Corporation, making the software giants the third largest software company in the world. Brother Ashton didn't happen upon his success. He graduated magna Cum Laude from the University of Utah with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and then went on to earn a Ph.D. in computer science. The University of Utah's Computer Science program was reputed to be one of the best in the world. After some lean times in the beginning of his word processing company (with some employees using closets for an office or a door laid across props for a desk), people became enamored with the company's products.

Dr. Ashton taught at BYU for 14 years before his software company took off. During this time, he was loved by his students and was voted "Outstanding Professor of the Year" by his students. These days, he is involved supporting many great causes and also spends much of his time with his wife, Karen, and their 12 children.