Harvey awarded honorary doctorate

For his contributions to science, Gale Allen Harvey ’62 was recognized with an honorary doctorate at NMSU’s fall 2024 commencement ceremonies. 

Following graduation from Alamogordo High School, Harvey was awarded a $400 scholarship from the NMSU Department of Physics and his stellar career ignited. After earning a bachelor’s degree in physics, he received a master’s degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1967. 

“I have always felt that NMSU was my only alma mater and the school that opened the most doors for me,” Harvey says.

He dedicated more than 48 years to groundbreaking research as a physicist at NASA’s Langley Research Center, contributing to advancements in space science and atmospheric studies. 

In the 1970s, Harvey directed and published about the NASA-NMSU meteor spectra patrol cameras, which studied meteor trajectories, orbits and velocities using automated equipment. Ever since, he has maintained an ongoing connection to the NMSU Department of Physics. In 2007, he established the Gale A. Harvey Endowed Scholarship for physics students with financial need and in 2018, Room 229 in Gardiner Hall was named in his honor.