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Raymond Donald Hagan
March 14, 1943 - May 12, 2007
Don Hagan, Ph.D, Fellow ACSM, died unexpectedly from
a heart attack on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at the age of 64 years. Don was
the Exercise Lead for NASA's Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Division
at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Don received a B.S. from
California State University, Northridge in Physical Education, a M.A. from
the University of California, Santa Barbara in Exercise Physiology, and a
Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in Exercise Physiology. Before arriving
at NASA in 2001, Don was the Senior Scientist at Geo-Centers, Inc. located
at the Naval Research Center in San Diego, California. In addition to the
six years that Dr. Hagan previously worked at the Institute for Aerobics
Research (now the Cooper Institute) in Dallas, TX, he was a professor or
adjunct at several institutions, including Tarleton State University,
Stephenville, TX; University of California, San Diego; University of North
Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX; Texas Woman's University,
Denton, TX; and Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Worth, TX.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Hagan studied the effects
of exercise on lipoprotein metabolism, and was involved in some of the first
studies on circuit weight training. As Manager of the Exercise Physiology
Laboratory for NASA, Don led the support of the physical fitness testing
requirements for astronauts; evaluating and validating exercise
countermeasures equipment; and conditioning programs related to the
maintenance of astronaut health and performance during Space Shuttle and
International Space Station missions. He participated in studies of
microgravity deconditioning and countermeasures and recently was
instrumental in the development of new technology to better measure muscle
oxygenation during exercise.
Dr. Hagan was a well respected exercise physiologist
with over 30 years of experience in the field. Don was the author or
co-author of more than 35 peer-reviewed publications, 50 meeting abstracts,
and 20 Naval and NASA technical reports. Additionally, he served as a
reviewer for multiple scientific journals, ranging from JAMA to the Journal
of Swimming Research, and was a frequent speaker at regional, national, and
international conferences. Don was a member of the American Physiologic
Society (since 1980) and the American College of Sports Medicine (since
1976), including the Texas Chapter.
Dr. Hagan was very active in mentoring students and
educating young minds about exercise physiology. He was also very active in
youth coaching, and loved to discuss coaching methods with others. Don will
be missed by his friends and colleagues. He is survived by his wife
Margaret (Maggie) and his four children, Shauna (20), Ryan (17), Colin (12),
and Aaron (10).
The Don Hagan Memorial Fund has been
established to benefit underprivileged kids involved in youth sports.
Online tax-deductible donations are accepted at
www.charitysmith.com. Simply click on
“donate” and indicate Don Hagan Memorial Fund
as the destination of your donation.
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