Ernest Levert
Engineer Ernest D. Levert was born on March 15, 1954 in Cleveland, Ohio. Levert grew up in Cleveland where he attended Max S. Hayes High School and interned with NASA at the John H. Glenn Research Center as a sophomore. He graduated from Max S. Hayes High School in 1972. Then, after working briefly as a tool and die welder at Club Products in Cleveland, Levert served a tour of duty in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War and attended the U.S. Navy’s C-1 Welding School. Levert went on to graduate from Ohio State University in 1982 with his B.S. degree in welding engineering, specializing in laser-beam and electron-beam welding.
In 1986, Levert joined Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control Division in Dallas, Texas where he worked on projects under NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense that included International Space Station and the Army Tactical Missile System. Levert’s division created and implemented photovoltaic radiators for the International Space Station’s crew areas and the removal of excess heat. He also developed a system of elbow tubing designed to carry coolant gases in radiators that are part of the Space Station. In 1996, Levert was appointed senior staff manufacturing engineer at Lockheed Martin; and, by 2000, Levert’s team had successfully welded 284 missiles. Throughout his career, Levert has developed standard policies and processes that provide structural integrity for many Lockheed Martin products. He also contributed a chapter to the book, Sparking the Future: National Center for Welding Education and Training, published by the Welding Education Center in 2009.
In 2002, Levert became the first African American to serve as president of the American Welding Society. He was honored with the Outstanding Alumni Award from Ohio State University’s School of Engineering in 2004 and with the NOVA Award for Outstanding leadership from Lockheed Martin in 2006.
Ernest D. Levert was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on January 29, 2013.
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1/29/2013
Levert
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The Ohio State University
Max S. Hayes High School
Wilson Junior High School
John D. Rockefeller Elementary School
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Cleveland
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Ohio
Maui, Hawaii
With God in your life and faith in yourself, you can set and achieve your goals no matter what you were told.
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3/14/1954
Dallas
United States
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Material science engineer and welding engineer Ernest Levert (1954 - ) , the first African American to serve as president of the American Welding Society, has worked with the U.S. Department of Defense and NASA as an engineer at Lockheed Martin.
Lockheed Martin
General Dynamic - Convair Division
Ametek, Straza Division
United States Navy
Black, Red
Tape: 1 Story: 1 - Slating of Ernest Levert's interview
Tape: 1 Story: 2 - Ernest Levert lists his favorites
Tape: 1 Story: 3 - Ernest Levert describes his mother's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 4 - Ernest Levert describes his father's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 5 - Ernest Levert talks about how his parents met
Tape: 1 Story: 6 - Ernest Levert talks about his relation to the O'Jays lead singer, Eddie Levert
Tape: 1 Story: 7 - Ernest Levert describes his parents' personalities and who he takes after
Tape: 1 Story: 8 - Ernest Levert talks about his growing up and his childhood neighborhoods
Tape: 1 Story: 9 - Ernest Levert talks about his childhood influences
Tape: 2 Story: 1 - Ernest Levert describes the sights, sounds, and smells of growing up
Tape: 2 Story: 2 - Ernest Levert talks about his childhood job at Cleveland Stadium
Tape: 2 Story: 3 - Ernest Levert talks about his interest in engineering
Tape: 2 Story: 4 - Ernest Levert talks about his interest in welding
Tape: 2 Story: 5 - Ernest Levert talks about the Hough, Ohio Riots
Tape: 2 Story: 6 - Ernest Levert talks about his high school and his first job at NASA
Tape: 2 Story: 7 - Ernest Levert talks about his mentor, Julian Earls
Tape: 2 Story: 8 - Ernest Levert talks about his favorite movie, "October Sky"
Tape: 2 Story: 9 - Ernest Levert talks about sports in Cleveland, Ohio
Tape: 3 Story: 1 - Ernest Levert talks about the importance of communication skills
Tape: 3 Story: 2 - Ernest Levert talks about Star Trek
Tape: 3 Story: 3 - Ernest Levert talks about his extracurricular activities
Tape: 3 Story: 4 - Ernest Levert talks about his involvement in the Boy Scouts
Tape: 3 Story: 5 - Ernest Levert talks about his experience working at Club Products
Tape: 3 Story: 6 - Ernest Levert talks about his decision to join the U.S. Navy
Tape: 3 Story: 7 - Ernest Levert talks about his experience in the U.S. Navy
Tape: 4 Story: 1 - Ernest Levert talks about his encounters with racism in the U.S. Navy, part 1
Tape: 4 Story: 2 - Ernest Levert talks about his encounters with racism in the U.S. Navy, part 2
Tape: 4 Story: 3 - Ernest Levert talks about his encounters with racism in the U.S. Navy, part 3
Tape: 4 Story: 4 - Ernest Levert talks about his decision to attend The Ohio State University
Tape: 4 Story: 5 - Ernest Levert talks about his experience at The Ohio State University
Tape: 4 Story: 6 - Ernest Levert talks about his internships and summer employment during college
Tape: 5 Story: 1 - Ernest Levert talks about his professors at The Ohio State University
Tape: 5 Story: 2 - Ernest Levert talks about his experience at Ametek Straza
Tape: 5 Story: 3 - Ernest Levert talks about his departure from Ametek Straza
Tape: 5 Story: 4 - Ernest Levert talks about his experience at Geodynamics
Tape: 5 Story: 5 - Ernest Levert talks about joining Lockheed Martin
Tape: 5 Story: 6 - Ernest Levert talks about his work at Lockheed Martin
Tape: 6 Story: 1 - Ernest Levert talks about his projects at Lockheed Martin
Tape: 6 Story: 2 - Ernest Levert talks about his conflicts with management
Tape: 6 Story: 3 - Ernest Levert talks about his NASA projects
Tape: 6 Story: 4 - Ernest Levert talks about the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and Ronald McNair
Tape: 6 Story: 5 - Ernest Levert shares his advice for aspiring welding engineers
Tape: 7 Story: 1 - Ernest Levert talks about Lockheed Martin
Tape: 7 Story: 2 - Ernest Levert his impact internationally
Tape: 7 Story: 3 - Ernest Levert talks about his hopes and concerns for the African American community
Tape: 7 Story: 4 - Ernest Levert reflects on his life
Tape: 7 Story: 5 - Ernest Levert reflects on his legacy
Tape: 7 Story: 6 - Ernest Levert talks about his family
Tape: 7 Story: 7 - Ernest Levert talks about how he would like to be remembered
Tape: 7 Story: 8 - Ernest Levert describes his photos