This bronze medal was given by the National Geographic Society to Dr. Hugh L. Dryden, Deputy Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, posthumously, in recognition of his distinguished career and dedication to the organization. Throughout his career as the Director of Reseach for the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA) and later as Administrator and Deputy Director of NASA, Dr. Dryden had a long association with the Society. He became a life member of the organization in 1951 and wrote several articles for National Geographic's magazine. After Dr. Dryden's death in 1965, the Society issued a Resolution of Tribute, which included a White House card signed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson. This medal was awarded in 1968.
Dryden's widow, Mrs. Elizabeth Dryden, donated the medal to the Museum in 1974.
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.