George F. Alexander has been named manager of the Office of Public Affairs at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, effective Feb. 15, 1988.
A veteran science writer, Alexander replaces Frank Colella who is retiring after 29 years at JPL.
Alexander joins JPL after 28 years as journalist covering science, technology and aerospace for variety of publications and broadcast organizations. As reporter for Aviation Week, he covered the early days of the space program from the magazine's New York and Cape Canaveral bureaus. He was Aviation Week's Cape Canaveral bureau chief from 1962 to 1967, then joined Newsweek's Houston bureau. From 1968 to 1972, Alexander served as Newsweek's science editor at the magazine's New York headquarters. He left Newsweek to become science writer at the Los Angeles Times. In 1985, Alexander accepted Macy Fellowship in broadcast science journalism at WGBH, the public broadcasting station in Boston, Mass. Since completing the fellowship, he has produced and written variety of science and technology programs for CBS News, the British Broadcasting Corporation, National Public Radio and public television.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on July 17, 1934, Alexander was graduated from Fordham University in Bronx, N.Y., in 1956 with bachelor's degree in journalism. He completed additional communications courses at the University of Chicago, and science courses at the Brevard Engineering College (now the Florida Institute of Technology) in Melbourne, Fla.
Alexander is member of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing and the National Association of Science Writers, and is past president of both organizations.
He resides with his family in Tarzana, Calif.
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