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Hall of Fame - Rudolf Anderson (1927-1962)

Rudolf Anderson (1927-1962)Major Rudolf Anderson, a 1944 graduate of Greenville High School, went on to graduate from Clemson University as a member of Air Force ROTC Detachment 770 in 1948. Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, he completed Primary and Advanced pilot training and received his U.S. Air Force aeronautical rating as a pilot. He earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses for reconnaissance missions during the Korean War. After qualifying on the U-2 in 1957, he became the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing's top U-2 pilot with over 1,000 hours, making him a vital part of the United States' reconnaissance operation over Cuba in late October 1962. Major Anderson, who died when his U-2 aircraft was shot down, was the only person killed by enemy fire during the Cuban Missile Crisis.