Cryptologic Hall of Honor

The Cryptologic Hall of Honor was created in 1999 to pay special tribute to the pioneers and heroes who rendered distinguished service to American cryptology.

The standards are high for induction into this great hall. The individuals honored were innovators over their entire careers or made major contributions to the structure and processes of American cryptology. The men and women who have been inducted to the Cryptologic Hall of Honor are all greats in the once silent world of cryptology.

In the early days of America's cryptologic effort, many of the "giants" did both Signals Intelligence and Information Assurance. They made important contributions to both offensive and defensive cryptology. As such, they were among the first inducted into the Cryptologic Hall of Honor. 

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Lester K. Myers, 2020 Hall of Honor inductee
Lester K. Myers
By | Dec. 15, 2020
About Lester K. Myers, former NSA Senior Language Analyst, mentor, and 2020 Hall of Honor inductee.

Dr. Whitfield Diffie, 2020 Hall of Honor inductee
Dr. Whitfield Diffie
By | Dec. 15, 2020
About Dr. Whitfield Diffie, computer security pioneer and 2020 Hall of Honor inductee.

Barbara A. McNamara, 2020 Hall of Honor inductee
Barbara A. McNamara
By | Dec. 15, 2020
About Barbara A. McNamara, former NSA Executive Assistant to the Director, former NSA representative to the Department of Defense, former Deputy Director NSA, and 2020 Hall of Honor inductee.

Dr. David Kahn, 2020 Hall of Honor inductee
Dr. David Kahn
By | Dec. 15, 2020
About Dr. David Kahn, Journalist, Author, former NSA Scholar-in-Residence, and 2020 Hall of Honor inductee.

George R. Cotter 2020 Hall of Honor inductee
George R. Cotter
By | Dec. 15, 2020
About George R. Cotter, former NSA Chief of Staff, NSA Chief Scientist, and 2020 Hall of Honor inductee.

Charles L. Gandy

2008 Hall of Honor Inductee

From his first assignment to the National Security Agency in 1955 as an Air Force 1st Lieutenant until his retirement as a civilian in 1986, Mr. Charles Gandy made significant contributions to the fields of signals intelligence, information assurance, and counterintelligence. His work in research, development, and deployment of quick reaction capabilities greatly strengthened cryptologic community support to the highest levels of government.

Although most of the details must remain classified, Mr. Gandy's contributions enabled the NSA to anticipate key activities of foreign adversaries and determine where our own vulnerabilities existed. Much of this engineering work was in sensitive signals analysis and countermeasures development

Mr. Gandy's work in the field of remote control collection systems was applied during the Vietnam War, and helped save the lives of countless thousands of Americans.

After leaving the NSA in 1986, Mr. Gandy continued his research activities. He developed a special radar that detected breathing and heart rate for people trapped in rubble of collapsed buildings.

Mr. Gandy's lifetime of creativity and innovation in the use of advanced technology led to numerous successes. Many senior leaders, including Deputy Director Dr. Louis W. Tordella, frequently relied on Mr. Gandy to tackle mission issues that were both exceptionally challenging and exceptionally sensitive.