Locality
Prince William County
Occupation
Mechanical Engineer
Biography
Only the third woman to study mechanical engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (also known as Virginia Tech), Mary Jones often tutored her male classmates before graduating with honors in 1962. The first woman licensed as a professional engineer in Virginia, she went on to earn an M.S. in mechanical engineering at the George Washington University. She began her professional career as a structural engineer for Atlantic Research Corporation (later part of Aerojet Rocketdyne), which developed rocket propulsion systems. Jones was recognized as an expert in solid propellant rocket motor design and was ARC's chief design engineer overseeing development of motors for the MLRS (multiple launch rocket system), the Stinger Missile, and the Tomahawk Booster. She served as the Executive Director of Engineering for Aerojet.
In 1993 she was on the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board Committee on Advanced Space Technology that reviewed NASA's technology development program for small spacecraft. An active supporter of Virginia Tech, Jones served on the Board of Visitors (1984–1988) and in 1992 was the first woman to be awarded its University Distinguished Achievement Award. She was a charter member of the advisory board for both its College of Engineering and the Mechanical Engineering Department. In 2004 the College of Engineering inducted her into its Academy of Engineering Excellence. The Society of Women Engineers honored her professional accomplishments with its Upward Mobility Award in 1993 and named her a Fellow in 1998 for her contributions in supporting women in engineering. Jones is a Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
2017 Virginia Women in History honoree, Library of Virginia.
In 1993 she was on the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board Committee on Advanced Space Technology that reviewed NASA's technology development program for small spacecraft. An active supporter of Virginia Tech, Jones served on the Board of Visitors (1984–1988) and in 1992 was the first woman to be awarded its University Distinguished Achievement Award. She was a charter member of the advisory board for both its College of Engineering and the Mechanical Engineering Department. In 2004 the College of Engineering inducted her into its Academy of Engineering Excellence. The Society of Women Engineers honored her professional accomplishments with its Upward Mobility Award in 1993 and named her a Fellow in 1998 for her contributions in supporting women in engineering. Jones is a Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
2017 Virginia Women in History honoree, Library of Virginia.
File Citation(s)
Photograph courtesy of Mary Virginia Jones.