Mr. Fred Houston Goodnight

Fred Houston Goodnight, 84, was born on March 31, 1930 in Kannapolis, NC to Mason and Maggie Goodnight. He grew up on a farm in Rowan County and attended the Odell School 1st -12th grade where he graduated in 1948. He was a member of Gilwood Presbyterian Church in Kannapolis. After a brief time in Cannon Mills as a weaver, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where he served until August 1952 as a clerk in the SAC 2nd Bomb Wing Operations. Upon separation, he entered N.C. State University and was granted a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1956. He was a member of Pi Tau Sigma honorary engineering fraternity. At graduation, he joined Chance Vought Aircraft in Dallas (now Triumph Vought in Grand Prarie) where he had a 40-year career in aircraft, missiles and space programs, including Technical Manager for the U.S. Satellite Weapon program, the MLRS and several other tactical missile programs, Project Apollo crew equipment development and ground transportation systems. Fred was awarded patents on designs of ground transportation systems. He retired in September 1996.

Fred is survived by his wife Judy, sons Greg & Michael, daughter-in-law Kim, and grandchildren Sam, Rhett, Lindy and Blake, all of Dallas. He was a parishioner of Christ the King Church.