Meet Judith Love Cohen, Aerospace Scientist And Mom Of Jack Black

Judith Love Cohen was a woman ahead of her time, shattering glass ceilings and paving a path in engineering and technology. Known for her pivotal role in aerospace engineering, she was not only a trailblazer for women in STEM fields but also played a prominent role in some of the most history-shifting moments in space exploration. Cohen garnered worldwide praise for her part in the Apollo 13 mission, bringing the astronauts back home to safety. Notably, she is also the mother of famous Hollywood actor and comedian, Jack Black.

Who Was Judith Love Cohen?

Born on August 16, 1933, in Brooklyn, United States, Cohen demonstrated a passion and aptitude for mathematics and science early on. She went to Brooklyn College to pursue engineering. Meanwhile, she was also a ballet dancer for the Metropolitan Opera Ballet Company in New York. After two years in college, she got married and moved to California.

Cohen started working as a junior engineer for North American Aviation in 1952 during the day and took up night school at the University of Southern California (USC). According to the USC website, she once said in an interview that she went through her BS and MS programs at the institute without ever meeting another female engineering student.

Cohen received her bachelor's and master's degrees from USC Viterbi School of Engineering, in 1957 and 1962 respectively, before starting work at Space Technology Laboratories. She also began serving as an Astronautical Engineering Advisory board member at the University. In 1982, she became a graduate of the UCLA Engineering Executive Program.

During Cohen's time at Space Technology Laboratories, she played an important role in the safe return of Apollo 13 after an oxygen tank explosion forced the astronauts to use the Lunar Module as a "lifeboat." Her work included work on the guidance computer for the Minuteman missile and the Abort-Guidance System (AGS) in the Apollo Lunar Module.

In the early 1950s, Cohen married Bernard Siegel, whom she met at Brooklyn College. They divorced in the 1960s. Cohen then got married to "Tom" William Black. In 1969, they had Jack Black, a Hollywood star and comedian. The couple divorced in 1979 before Cohen married her last husband, David Katz in 1981.

Cohen retired from engineering in 1990 and began a publishing company called Cascade Pass with Katz. They published two series of books, "You Can be a Woman…" -- encouraging very young girls to pursue STEM; and "Green" -- promoting positive environmental practices among children. They also published The Women of Apollo. Judith Love Cohen passed away in 2016 due to cancer.

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