Dr. John C. Fakan

Executive Director USS Cod Submarine Memorial

Dr. John Fakan, Dr. John or simply “John” to his many friends, was truly a unique individual, a true Renaissance man whose expertise and interests ranged from baking bread and brewing beer.

John spent thirteen years as an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Lewis Research Center in Brook Park, Ohio, helping develop the electronic and propulsion systems that enabled America’s lunar landing and in the process received an Apollo Achievement Award from NASA.

While serving on the HNSA Board, John worked closely with Richard Pekelney to create the first HNSA web site and also John led HNSA from the era of postal communication to the use of email.

For more than twenty years, John directed a crew of dedicated volunteers restoring and maintaining USS Cod, now a National Historic Landmark in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2011 the Historic Naval Ships Association presented him with its highest honor, the Casper J. Knight, Jr. Award, noting that he had led the “transformation of Cod into one of the finest warship restorations in the world.”