James R. Bathurst, Jr., Engineering Psychologist, age 77, passed away April 29, 2014. Born in Sunbury, PA, he was a 1965 graduate of Penn State University with a B.S. in Psychology and coursework in Electrical Engineering. He was a veteran of the United States Air Force having served as a radar repairman. A Huntsville resident since 1967, he was employed by Essex Corporation and was a retiree from The Boeing Company and Teledyne Brown Engineering. His NASA career began in the 1970s with work on the Apollo Lunar Module, Lunar Lander, and Apollo Telescope Mount. Prior to retiring from TBE in 2013, Bathurst spent over a decade supporting International Space Station Payload Operations Integration at Marshall Space Flight Center, working with domestic and international partners in providing usable software and hardware interfaces for the ISS onboard crew.
His work earned him two of NASA’s highest achievement awards. In 2007, he received a JSC Astronaut Office Silver Snoopy Award for his exceptional contributions to flight safety and mission success. In 2008, Bathurst was presented with the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award given by NASA to a civilian, recognizing his outstanding work over a long career.
As a former DoD contractor, Bathurst provided human factors and design support to the F-22 fighter program and the Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) Missile System. His research work included a Facility Intruder Detection System (FIDS), designed to help protect US military bases from ground-based terrorist attack.
Bathurst developed an automobile accident-avoidance training program enabling inexperienced drivers to acquire years of skill and experience avoiding collisions in a few weeks. He conducted a driver performance and accident countermeasures study which resulted in Federal legislation requiring the high, center-mounted brake lights now mandatory on millions of new cars.
Bathurst evaluated the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant control room for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission immediately following the accident in 1979. He created a full-scale mock-up of the TMI-2 control room to analyze operator activities. His work was featured on network television and in The New York Times. Following this, he was invited to Japan to assess nuclear plant operations there.
An avid motorsports enthusiast, Bathurst became involved in sports car competitions and on/off road motorcycle events. A former high school track runner, he completed three full Rocket City marathons in his 40s. He rode bicycles and participated in Spring City Cycle 100-mile trips. His early interest in hunting and target shooting continued throughout his life. A lover of music he sang in his church choir.
The son of James R. Bathurst, Sr., and Elizabeth Hoffman Bathurst (both deceased), he was preceded in death by a sister, Jeanne Bathurst London. The eldest of five children, he is survived by his wife, Dana Brewer Bathurst of Huntsville, son, Curtis Jamison Bathurst (34) of Seattle, sister, Judy Bathurst Mulraney of Brownstown, MI, and brothers, Luther Bathurst of Alston, MD, and John Bathurst of State College, PA. Jim stayed in close touch with his State College High School class. In 2009, he was presented with the State College Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Memorial services will be held Saturday, May 17, at Monte Sano United Methodist Church, 601 Monte Sano Blvd., Huntsville, AL 35801. Visitation will be at 10 a.m. and the service at 11 a.m. His remains will be laid to rest at Maple Hill Cemetery, Huntsville. (www.laughlinservice.com)
Donations specified for choir robes in Jim Bathurst’s memory may be sent to the church office.
