John Herndon Hammond

Dr. John “Jack” Herndon Hammond, 80, passed away on August 11, 2026, at Fairfax Hospital. He was born on February 28, 1946 in Macomb, Illinois, to John A. and Wanda (Herndon) Hammond. He grew up on the family farm near Table Grove IL and attended high school in Macomb, IL, where he met his future wife, Karen Key. They were married on June 28, 1969. He attended the University of Illinois, earning a BSEE in 1968, a MS in 1969 and a PhD in 1973. In 1974, Jack and Karen welcomed daughter, Kristin, and in 1978, son John David. The family moved from Huntsville, AL, where Jack was serving in the Army, to Fairfax, VA in 1979.

Dr. Hammond had a distinguished career, retiring from Lockheed Martin in 2009 as Vice President, Technology at its Bethesda, MD headquarters. He and his staff coordinated internal R&D across the corporation’s business areas and directly managed cross-cutting initiatives including those with Sandia National Laboratory, General Electric’s Global research Center and several universities. He also served for six months as Acting Chief Technical Officer and earlier in the space and strategic missiles business area where he contributed to satellite, launch vehicle and interceptor programs. He represented Lockheed Martin externally on numerous occasions and consulted for the Defense Science Board.

Previous aerospace positions included Board Member and Vice President at Schafer Corp., a technical analysis firm, and Vice President for Satellite Products at Defense Systems, Inc. Earlier, he served as Vice President of Western Research Corp. He managed programs, developed business and contributed technically in areas including laser devices, laser propagation, small satellites, missile interceptors and unmanned air vehicles. He led a multi-company team comparing options for boost-phase missile defense. His work in optics and lasers also addressed inertial plasma confinement.

In the Defense Department’s Senior Executive Service, he headed the office in the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization responsible for laser and particle beam weapons R&D and associated target acquisition/tracking and precision beam pointing. Dr. Hammond also represented SDIO with congressional testimony and at arms control negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland. After receiving his degrees in Electrical Engineering and an ROTC commission at the University of Illinois, he served in the Army and civil service at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL.

After his retirement from Lockheed Martin, he provided part-time scientific and engineering support for defense programs, and volunteered on the National Academies Board on Army Science and Technology. Finally, he continued his long-term contribution to Missile Defense with his colleagues at Systems, Technology and Science, LLC and the Missile Defense Agency.

Jack was devoted to his wife and children, never failing to support their endeavors. He was loyal in his friendships. He had a funny and somewhat mischievous side that those who knew him well were privy to. He enjoyed traveling, new culinary adventures and spending time with family and friends. He was a lifelong learner, enjoying educational DVD’s and audiobooks on subjects of all natures. Jack is survived by his daughter, Kristin Hammond and son-in-law Kirk A. Hurd, brother and sister-in-law Richard “Dick” and Maureen (Stapleton) Hammond, and niece Bridgette Hammond. A small family celebration of life will be held at a future date in Illinois, where John “Jack” Hammond will be interred at Pennington Point Cemetery.

Memorial gifts may be made to the Grainger Engineering Priority Endowment Fund, University of Illinois Foundation. One may donate online at https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/49285/donations/new; designate “Grainger Engineering Priority Endowment Fund.” After one has submitted payment, there is an opportunity to designate this as a memorial gift for Dr. Hammond. Or, one may send a check payable to the “University of Illinois Foundation” and include a short memo that your gift is in memory of Dr. Hammond and designate for the Grainger Engineering Priority Endowment Fund — 11776346. Checks should be mailed to the University of Illinois Foundation, P.O. Box 734500, Chicago, IL 60673-4500.