Foil: 9 Panel: 4 Column: 2 Line: 106

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Mr. Scott D. Craig

George Edward Tackaberry was born in Los Angeles, CA on February 26, 1913. He grew up in the Antelope Valley area of California on his family's homestead in a one room home that served as the kitchen, bath, dining room, and bedroom all in one. After moving to the
Santa Barbara area, he took some odd jobs including carrying blocks of ice on his back to be delivered for people's refrigerators, or "ice boxes" as they were known. Drafting classes at a Santa Barbara college led to a career with Lockheed in 1942 as a cockpit design engineer and manager. He and his team designed cockpits and other aircraft systems for aircraft such as the F-104, L-1011, and Cheyenne helicopter. George Craig also worked for the famous Skunkworks project from 1951-1953 and contributed to the highly secretive SR-71 Blackbird. He retired from Lockheed in 1973 and has spent the rest of his life devoted to his wife, three daughters, and many grandchildren.