Editing Ronald McNair (section)

== Background ==
Ronald Erwin McNair was born in [[Lake City, South Carolina]], on October 21, 1950,<ref name="NASA">{{cite web |title=Biographical Data: Ronald E. McNair (Ph.D.) NASA astronaut (deceased) |url=https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/mcnair_ronald.pdf |publisher=[[NASA]] |access-date=June 23, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dr. Ronald Erwin McNair, Ph.D. |url=https://www.csusm.edu/mcnair/namesake/index.html |website=[[California State University San Marcos]] |access-date=June 23, 2024}}</ref> to Carl C. McNair, an [[Auto body technician|auto repairman]], and his wife, a high school teacher named Pearl.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ronald E. McNair Program: Ronald E. McNair, Ph.D. |url=https://mcnair.unl.edu/mcnair |website=[[University of Nebraska-Lincoln]] |access-date=June 23, 2024}}</ref> Growing up alongside his older brother, Carl S.,{{sfn|McNair|Brewer|2005|p=8}} as well as his younger brother, Eric,{{sfn|McNair|Brewer|2005|p=15}} McNair grew up in a low-income household, his home having lacked both [[electricity]] and [[Tap water|running water]].<ref name="Olivares">{{cite news |last1=Olivares |first1=Beth |title=A call to aim high: African-American astronaut inspires student liftoff |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle/149892667/ |access-date=June 23, 2024 |work=[[Democrat and Chronicle]] |agency=[[University of Rochester]] |date=January 28, 1996 |page=17}}</ref> The family later moved into a better, though still poor-quality household following the death of McNair's grandfather. His older brother, writing in a posthumous biography about McNair, described how the family "covered the floor and furniture with pots and pans to catch the water dripping through the roof" when it rained.{{sfn|McNair|Brewer|2005|p=8}}

In the summer of 1959, McNair refused to leave the segregated Lake City Public Library without being allowed to check out his books. After the police and his mother were called, McNair was allowed to borrow books from the library; the building that housed the library at the time is now named after him.<ref name= "npr.org">{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/01/28/133275198/astronauts-brother-recalls-a-man-who-dreamed-big|title=Astronaut's Brother Recalls A Man Who Dreamed Big|publisher=[[NPR]] |date=January 28, 2011 |access-date=November 18, 2012}}</ref> A children's book, ''Ron's Big Mission'', offers a fictionalized account of this event.

McNair attended Lake City Elementary School<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Michael |title=Space Comes A Little Closer To Lake City Elementary |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-state/157175309/ |access-date=October 15, 2024 |work=[[The State (newspaper)|The State]] |date=February 4, 1984 |page=13}}</ref> and Carver High School, where he graduated as [[valedictorian]] in 1967.<ref name= Smith2011>{{cite news|author=Smith, Bruce |title=Small SC town pauses to remember astronaut son |url= https://www.baystatebanner.com/2011/02/01/small-sc-town-pauses-to-remember-astronaut-son/ |date=February 11, 2011|publisher=Bay State Banner|access-date=January 7, 2023}}</ref>

In 1971, McNair received a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[engineering physics]], [[magna cum laude]], from the [[North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University]] in [[Greensboro, North Carolina]].<ref name="NASA Bio">{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/mcnair_ronald.pdf |title=Ronald E. McNair (Ph.D.), NASA Astronaut (Deceased) |location=Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center|website= NASA.gov |date=December 2003 |access-date=August 20, 2023}}</ref> At North Carolina A&T, he studied under professor [[Donald Anderson Edwards|Donald Edwards]], who had established the physics curriculum at the university.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Feinsilver |first=Ethan |date=January 28, 1999 |title=Speakers Link Ronald McNair to Today's A&T: An Annual Tribute to the Late Challenger Astronaut Seeks to Inspire Students at His Alma Mater |url=https://greensboro.com/speakers-link-ronald-mcnair-to-todays-a-t-an-annual-tribute-to-the-late-challenger/article_d5919fc0-9c92-5912-9693-057f759d38d3.html |access-date=August 18, 2022 |work=[[News & Record|Greensboro News & Record]] |language=en}}</ref>

In 1976, McNair received a [[PhD]] degree in [[physics]] from the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] under the guidance of [[Michael Stephen Feld|Michael Feld]], becoming nationally recognized for his work in the field of [[laser physics]]. That same year, McNair won the AAU Karate gold medal. He would subsequently win five regional championships and earn a fifth-degree black belt in karate.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ronald McNair Biography |url= https://www.biography.com/astronaut/ronald-mcnair |date=September 14, 2020 |access-date=October 21, 2021}}</ref>

McNair received four [[honorary doctorate]]s, as well as a score of [[fellow]]ships and commendations. He became a staff physicist at the [[Hughes Research Laboratories|Hughes Research Lab]] in [[Malibu, California]]. McNair was also a member of the [[Omega Psi Phi]] [[Fraternity]].<ref name="NASA Bio" />

McNair was a member of the [[Bahá'í Faith]], which emphasizes the unity of humanity and harmony between science and religion. He first encountered the religion in Lake City, South Carolina, in the 1960s and remained a lifelong adherent. McNair even carried a book of Bahá’í prayers with him on the [[Space Shuttle Challenger|Challenger]] mission, reflecting his commitment to the faith.<ref>{{cite web |title=30 Facts About Challenger Astronaut, Ronald McNair |url=https://historycollection.com/30-facts-about-challenger-astronaut-ronald-mcnair/19/ |date=September 14, 2020 |access-date=December 1, 2024}}</ref>