2004 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients

The 2004 Distinguished Alumni Award winners are (front row, from left) Robert E. Lee, Robert W. Micsak, Charles M. Rhoads and Dwight D. Stuckey, and (back row, from left) Jai Menon, Paul W. Lantz, Katherine A. Stevens, Ernest "Ernie" D. Levert, Joe H. Payer and Richard A. Arnold.

Ernest "Ernie" D. Levert, a Highland Village, Texas, resident, is a senior staff manufacturing engineer at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Dallas.

A 1982 welding engineering graduate of Ohio State, Levert is an internationally-recognized welding engineering expert and specialist in power electron beam and laser beam welding technologies and techniques. As a result of his innovative solutions, he has helped put Lockheed Martin in the forefront of the welding sciences.

Levert has more than 33 years of experience, primarily in support of aerospace and defense products. Levert has developed innovative solutions to vexing issues that have helped Lockheed Martin meet requirements, expand sales and ensure the preservation of human life. He is a registered professional engineer in Texas. Before joining Lockheed Martin in 1986, he worked for the General Dynamics' Convair Division in California in support of the Atlas Space Vehicle, Tomahawk Cruise Missile, Grown-Launched Cruise Missile and the Space Shuttle programs.

He has led efforts on the PATRIOT Advanced Capability (PAC-3) Missile, Line-of-Sight Missile and Joint Strike Fighter (JSF-F22) programs. His most dramatic achievements have been his contributions on the International Space Station, Army Tactical Missile System and the Multiple-Launch Rocket System Advanced Missile Programs — all of which have won him accolades.

He has risen from being an active and dedicated member of the American Welding Society to being the first African-American president of that organization. He has received numerous recognitions and awards for his achievements, including the College of Engineering Minority Engineering Program Outstanding Alumni Award, Lockheed Martin Vought Systems 1988 Special Recognition Award and American Welding Society's 17th District Meritorious Award. In addition, he received Lockheed Martin's NOVA Leadership Award, one of the corporation's most prestigious honors.