CHARLES F. "CHARLIE" BOLDEN, JR.

Born on August 19, 1946 in Columbia, South Carolina, Bolden graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968. Designated a naval aviator in May 1970, he flew more than 100 combat missions in South Asia in the early 1970’s. Throughout his career, he has logged more than 7,000 flying hours in over 30 different fixed and rotary wing aircraft.

Bolden was selected by NASA as an astronaut in 1980. It was at NASA that Bolden earned his shuttle flight wings by flying four missions aboard the space shuttles Columbia, Discovery and Atlantis. Bolden served as pilot on STS-61C (1986), and STS-31 (1990), and was mission commander on STS-45 (1992), and STS-60 (1994). Over the course of these four space flights, Bolden logged more than 680 hours in orbit, assisted in deploying the Hubble Space Telescope, and commanded the first mission that included a Russian cosmonaut as a mission specialist crew member.

Bolden left NASA and returned to the operating forces of the U.S. Marine Corps as the Deputy Commandant of Midshipmen at the Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland in June of 1994. Before retiring in 2003, Bolden had attained the rank of Major General and served as the Commanding General, Third Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. He is currently the Senior Vice President of TechTrans International, Inc., of Houston, TX.

Among his military decorations, Bolden has received the Defense Superior Service Medal, The Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Bolden now resides in Texas with his wife, Alexis (Jackie). They are the proud parents of two children, Che`, a major in the United States Marine Corps, and Kelly, a medical doctor now in her residency in general surgery. They have two beautiful granddaughters, Mikaley and Kyra.