The creator of the summer iconic water gun – Super Soaker – is headed back to his hometown this weekend to speak to the graduating class of Spring Hill College in Mobile.

Lonnie Johnson will speak to the Spring Hill graduating class of 2023 at 9 a.m. Saturday. Johnson is known for creating the Super Soaker water gun. He also was a former NASA engineer and is president and founder of Johnson Research & Development Co., Inc.

In 2011, Johnson was selected to be in the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame and in 2022, he was selected to be in the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Johnson licensed the Super Soaker to Larami Corp., which later was bought out by Hasbro, according to the hall of fame.

The Super Soaker has generated billions of dollars in sales and remains a top-selling toy worldwide, according to a press release from Spring Hill.

Johnson was born in Mobile and attended Williamson High School. He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering and later earned a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from Tuskegee University. He also holds several honorary degrees from other universities.

Johnson was also an Air Force Officer and an engineer for NASA, with leadership roles in projects such as the Stealth (B2) Bomber, NASA’s Voyager Mission, and the Galileo Mission to Jupiter.

Among his more current projects, Johnson has two companies, Excellatron Solid State and Johnson Battery Technologies, Inc. that are developing revolutionary energy technology, according to his website.

Johnson is on the board of directors for the FIRST and the Hank Aaron “Chasing the Dream” foundation. And he has served as trustee for the Boys and Girls Club of America.

“As the class of 2023 is preparing for its final walk as students down the Avenue of the Oaks, this will be my first,” Mary H. Van Brunt, who was named president of the college in October, stated in a press release. “I am especially proud of the accomplishments of these graduates. They have worked hard and excelled inside and outside of the classroom.”