WASHINGTON — Jane Rigby has explored the stars for decades. Now, she stands among them as the recipient of a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Dr. Rigby, an astronomer who grew up in Seaford, is the chief scientist of the world’s most powerful telescope in NASA’s Webb mission.

The White House announcement of the honor said, “Dr. Rigby embodies the American spirit of adventure and wonder.”

Dr. Rigby is an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. She provides scientific leadership for Webb, which has made pioneering discoveries about the secrets of the universe and inspired the world in its first two years of science operations.

She worked on the development of Webb for many years, and subsequently led the characterization of Webb’s science performance, which now is exceeding expectations, and frequently shares the progress of Webb science with the public.

The telescope was launched on Dec. 25, 2021.

“Webb has become a symbol not only of technical excellence and scientific discovery, but also of how much humanity can accomplish when we all work together,” Dr. Rigby said in a news release from NASA. “I’m so proud and grateful to lead the amazing Webb team.”

Dr. Rigby is an active researcher, developing new techniques to better understand how galaxies evolve over time and form stars. She has published 160 peer-reviewed publications and has been recognized with awards such as NASA’s Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, the Fred Kavli Prize Plenary Lecture from the American Astronomical Society and the 2022 LGBTQ+ Scientist of the Year from Out to Innovate.

“Thousands of people around the world came together to build Webb,” said Dr. Rigby. “The engineers who built and deployed Webb were critical to Webb’s success, and now thousands of scientists around the world are using Webb to make discovery after discovery.”

To represent those contributions, in addition to inviting her family to the Medal of Freedom ceremony, Dr. Rigby invited her colleague Mike Menzel, Webb lead mission systems engineer at NASA Goddard, and Dr. Kelsey Johnson, president of the American Astronomical Society.

Dr. Rigby also serves as a trustee of the AAS and was a founding member of the AAS Committee for Sexual-Orientation and Gender Minorities in Astronomy. She holds a doctorate in astronomy from the University of Arizona, as well as a bachelor’s degree in physics, as well as another in Astronomy And Astrophysics from Penn State University.

Jim Blackwell, curator at the Seaford Historical Society's Seaford Museum, was a vice principal at Seaford Middle School when Jane was in junior high.  Aware of her passion for astronomy, he loaned her his telescope.

“I was sitting at a football game in front of Jane and her mom. I knew Jane was interested in astronomy,” Mr. Blackwell said. “So, I brought the telescope in for her. She used it a couple times ... and then got her dad to go buy her another, better telescope than mine.”

Dr. Rigby's parents, Wayne and Julie Rigby, attended the ceremony. 

"I think The White House is everything you think it is, the people’s house. It’s the best, beautiful building that invites people. The staff was wonderful, and the ceremony was great," said Ms. Rigby. "I’m glad we could be there."

They said their daughter was  very surprised at earning the award.

"She thought the whole Webb Space Telescope was a team effort," Mr. Rigby said. “We’ve always have been very proud of her. She never took the easy route for sure in terms of her academic achievement and things. She set high goals and worked hard to get there I think.”

After graduating from Seaford High School  in 1996, Dr. Rigby earned high honors at Penn State University, then continued her college education at the University of Arizona.

Mr. Rigby said their daughter chose Arizona "for various reasons, but the access to several very good telescopes in the desert near Tucson was the main reason."

Ms. Rigby recognized the Seaford School District for its role in their daughter's education. 

“We would like to give credit to the Seaford School District and her teachers. They offered a rigorous academic program including classes at the University of Delaware through the Academic Challenge Program. She took every advantage of it," Ms. Rigby said. "I am forever grateful to her teachers for giving her such an excellent education.”

The Seaford Historical Society plans to salute its Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree at the Seaford Museum.

“We’re going to do an exhibit on Jane and the Webb Space Telescope this summer, at the museum,” said Mr. Blackwell. “This is wonderful. We’re just so proud of her – everybody! She is the first astronomer to get this award."

Nineteen honorees

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers, former Vice President Al Gore, Native American athlete Jim Thorpe and actor Michelle Yeoh were also among a diverse group of 19 people who have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden.

President Biden said the recipients are “incredible people whose relentless curiosity, inventiveness, ingenuity and hope have kept faith in a better tomorrow.”

One of them, Clarence B. Jones, said in an interview that he thought a prankster was on the phone when he answered and heard the caller say they were from the White House.

“I said, ‘Is this a joke or is this serious?’”Mr. Jones recalled. The caller swore they were serious and was calling with the news that President Biden wanted to recognize Jones with the medal.

Mr. Jones, 93, was honored for his activism during the Civil Rights Movement. He’s a lawyer who provided legal counsel to Martin Luther King Jr. and helped write the opening paragraphs of the “I Have a Dream” speech that Dr. King delivered at the Lincoln Memorial at the 1963 March on Washington.

The White House said the recipients are “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.”

The 10 men and nine women hail from the worlds of politics, sports, entertainment, civil rights and LGBTQ+ advocacy, science and religion. Three medals were awarded posthumously.

The other honorees were Michael R. Bloomberg, Gregory J. Boyle, Elizabeth Dole, Phil Donahue, John Forbes Kerry, Senator Frank Lautenberg, Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky, Opal Lee, Ellen Ochoa, Teresa Romero and Judy Shepard.