Edward Garland Dorsey

Ed was born on August 28, 1923, in Henderson, NC, the only child of Edward Garland Dorsey and Harland Johnson Dorsey. In his early years Ed spent much of his time with friends working on cars and listening to music. This led to his lifelong love of Jazz music and his urge to tinker and repair things, specifically bicycles and cars.

Ed graduated from Needham Broughton High School in Raleigh, NC in 1941. Prior to enlisting in the Navy he worked at Ethyl-Dow Chemical Co. in Kure Beach, NC.

He enlisted in the Navy in 1942 where he became an Aviation Machinists Mate 1st Class, leaving service with an honorable discharge in 1946. He trained at the Ford Motor Company plant in Dearborn, MI in powerplants (engines), Curtiss-Wright Plant in Columbus, OH in airframes and systems, Camp Kearney, CA in patrol plane maintenance and operations, and then served in the Pacific in Combat Aircraft Service Unit (CASU) #49 for 15 months.

After the Navy, in 1946, Ed enrolled at Purdue University, Lafayette, IN. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree graduating in 1949 in Aeronautical Engineering. His college honors include Tau Beta Pi, Gamma Alpha Rho and Distinguished Student.  

During college Ed married Mintie Covington. They had two children together, Martha Louise and Edward Garland III.

After graduating Purdue, Ed worked at Experiment Incorporated in Richmond, VA. He started as a Junior Engineer and ended as Division Head in Ordnance Division. He was a Registered Professional Engineer in Virginia. This is where he started his career in rocket engineering and solid and liquid fuels.  

He moved to Utah and joined Thiokol in 1958 continuing his work with solid rocket fuel. He started with the Minuteman missile program and worked his way to the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) that would launch the Space Shuttle into orbit. He made a brief stop working with the airbag systems developed by Thiokol, marketed by Autoliv, and in our automobiles today.

He retired in early 1985 and was immediately saddened by the passing of his precious wife Mintie. A trip to North Carolina for a high school reunion reacquainted him with Hilah White Armstrong, an old classmate. They married in October of 1985.

Ed was called back to Thiokol in 1987 after the Challenger Disaster and led a team in the redesign of the Solid Rocket Boosters. Once the redesign and tests were completed in 1988 he again retired.

Ed was honored with many accolades. Among them were NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal; Outstanding Aerospace Engineer Award from Purdue; National Aeronautic Association Collier Award and State of Utah Engineer of the Year.

Ed and Hilah split their time between Park City, UT and Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach, NC for many years, summers and snow skiing in Park City and enjoying the spring and fall in Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach. He skied well into his 80’s and rode his bicycle until he was 94. He attended classes at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Wilmington until he was 96 when the pandemic shut down the classes. He was ever moving forward and learning. He loved his membership at the Surf Club in Wrightsville Beach and his time at Plantation Village where everyone was his friend. He was a very kind, thoughtful and generous man, a true gentleman.

Ed was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Mintie Covington Dorsey, his wife Hilah White Dorsey, stepson Allen Armstrong and his dear friend Francis Parker. He is survived by his children, Martha (Dale) Ward of Brigham City, UT/Hampstead, NC; Edward (Betty) Dorsey of St. George, UT; Lee (John) Davis of Raleigh, NC and Carla (Richard) Dennis of Raleigh, NC.; 8 Grandchildren, 19 Great-Grandchildren and one Great-Great-Grandchild.  

In lieu of flowers or memorial gift please donate to a charity of your choice or the Church Endowment Fund of St. Andrews on the Sound.

The family would like to recognize the compassion and care provided by NOVANT New Hanover Regional Care Center and LifeCare, Lower Cape Fear in Wilmington over the past two weeks.

Services will be held at St. Andrews on the Sound Episcopal Church on Wednesday April 27, 2022 at 2:00 PM. A celebration of life will be held at the church immediately following the service.

Graveside services will be held at a later date yet to be determined in Utah.