The El Dorado Chapter of the NSDAR, was recently very proud to make a presentation of California Senate Resolution No. 624, initiated by Senator Brian Dahle, to chapter member Janet Levi. The resolution particularly recognized Janet for her work in aerospace and for her commitment to the greater community through numerous DAR projects.

Janet graduated from UC Berkeley, with a double major in mathematics and business. Having had an early interest in the new frontier of aerospace, Janet went to Aerojet in 1961 to apply for a position, was hired within the hour and was sent to, “Talk to the people in the test area.” As a mathematician making heavy use of her slide ruler and the support of key-punch cards and tape reels, Jane worked on test results for the thrusts of missiles such as the Minuteman and Polaris. She also became an essential member of the historic Apollo Program, calculating take off and landing specifications for the Apollo 11 Lunar Module.

In addition to being a female pioneer in the space industry, Janet was also commended for her support of the community. Joining the El Dorado Chapter of DAR in 1980, Janet accepted numerous leadership positions at both the local and state levels. For more than forty years, Janet has been organizing many commemorative events; supporting veterans and local families in need; and working with local schools, offering instructional materials, as well as costumes and other resources to bring history to life for students.

Photo caption: CSSDAR District II Director, Ruth Edmonson-Johnson, El Dorado Chapter Regent, Ann Chambers; Past Regent Janet Levi, and Janet’s daughter Lara Chartier.