Mississippi State alumnus Steve “Duke” Pigott stands at the Piedra Lisa Canyon Trailhead in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he trains in the Sandia Mountains. The 1994 Bagley College of Engineering graduate built a career in aerospace engineering, firefighting, exploration and archaeology, while pursuing extreme mountaineering.
Steve “Duke” Pigott stood on the roof of the world. Then, true to his form, he started looking for the next peak.
When the Mississippi State alumnus summited Mount Everest in May 2025, he joined an elite group of roughly 400 climbers to ever complete the Seven Summits—reaching the highest peak on each continent.
“I’m glad it’s behind me now,” Pigott said with a laugh. “There were always obstacles in the way, so it feels good to say I’ve done it. It was a humbling moment there. And it’s cool to be a part of such a small group.”
Always climbing higher
A 1994 graduate of MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering with a degree in aerospace engineering, Pigott has always been drawn to high places—both literally and figuratively.
“Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to build airplanes,” the Jackson native said. “I had always been fascinated by aerospace engineering and Mississippi State has such a great aerospace program, so for me, it was just a no-brainer. That’s what took me to State.”
From there, he launched an Indiana Jones-like career that spanned engineering, international exploration, firefighting, archaeology and some of the most extreme mountaineering on Earth.
Pigott spent years at Lockheed Martin, working on major defense programs including the C-130 Hercules and the F-35 Lightning II, while also serving in leadership roles overseeing Asia, Africa and Middle East initiatives. In the midst of that, he became a volunteer firefighter—because when most say they don’t have time, Pigott simply finds it.
“Lockheed Martin was a demanding job—60 to 80 hours a week,” he said. “When I became chief of the volunteer fire department, that added another 30 or 40.”
Raising awareness at 5,000 meters
When he took on a mission to promote firefighter fitness, Pigott added it to his already bursting schedule—and tackled the task with his customary sense of adventure and need to go to extremes.
In 2008, he traveled to Africa to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, achieving that feat in full firefighter gear—75 pounds of nonbreathable fabric, bulky tools and unwieldy safety gear.
“I thought to myself, ‘What’s a good way to encourage firefighters to get out and do stuff in their gear?’” he said. “I said, ‘I’ll see if I can climb a mountain in firefighter gear.’ And I did. Things really took off from there.”
The climbs kept coming. Mount Elbrus in Russia followed in 2009, also accomplished while sporting firefighter gear. Then came South America’s Aconcagua in 2014, Denali in 2018, Antarctica’s Mount Vinson in 2019, Carstensz Pyramid in Oceania in 2025—and finally, Mount Everest later that year.
“After the first two, I don’t think I was even thinking about doing all seven,” Pigott said. “But I really loved mountain climbing. Once I climbed Denali, I figured I would keep going.”
After climbing to the world’s tallest peak, Pigott sat on top of the mountain, holding the MSU pennant. Then he added another accomplishment to his list: the first person to play guitar at the Mount Everest summit.
“I played the guitar, and my friend played the harmonica on the summit of Denali,” he said. “On Everest, I started playing guitar at base camp and kept it with me. I kept carrying it to each camp on the way, and by the fourth, I decided I had to take it to the summit. I wrote a song on the way up, climbed to the peak and played it, which had never been done before.”
After his descent, Duke signed the guitar and donated it to the Hard Rock Cafe in Kathmandu, Nepal—a town right next to the mountain.
Now living in New Mexico, Pigott says MSU is the foundation that has supported every step of his journey, whether it was crossing Engineering Row, jumping into a fruitful career or ascending to the world’s greatest heights.
“Mississippi State provided me all the opportunities to do the things I love,” he said. “My time at State was wonderful—every bit of it was fantastic.”
Retiring to a new passion
For years, Pigott used vacation days to climb mountains and volunteer in archaeological digs—feeding his passions for both adventure and history. Eventually, the pull became too strong to relegate to the sidelines.
“That’s the reason I retired,” he said. “I wanted to spend my life climbing mountains and digging in the desert.”
Now, at 54, Pigott is continuing his academic journey, working toward a doctoral degree in archaeology while preparing for upcoming excavations—one at an underwater Phoenician shipwreck in Israel and several land-based digs in the Middle East.
Mississippi State alumnus Steve “Duke” Pigott stands at Mount Everest Base Camp shortly before summiting the world’s highest peak in May 2025. Pigott completed the Seven Summits, reaching the highest mountain on each continent, and now continues his exploration through archaeological fieldwork, shipwreck excavations and international digs in the Middle East.
Pigott also serves as vice president of Albuquerque’s mountain rescue team. In this role, he volunteers for the wilderness search and rescue team, using his mountaineering, backpacking and medical skills to serve the community by keeping climbers safe.
And, of course, he’s still climbing.
With the Seven Summits complete, Pigott has turned his sights to the Swiss Alps, aiming to summit all 82 of its peaks that rise above 4,000 meters. He’s already nearly a quarter of the way there.
Though Pigott has traveled the world and stood atop every summit he’s set his sights on, he knows his journey will lead him back home.
“Mississippi State was such a huge part of my life,” he said. “Mississippi is my home, and I plan to return there when it’s all said and done.”
By Mary Pollitz, Photos by Michelle Douglas & Submitted
