With Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos in space news lately, my mind wanders to my father-in-law Jesse’s appreciation for space exploration. I also think of how this week marks the 52nd anniversary of Apollo 11, which was launched on July 16, 1969.
With the sorting out of Jesse’s paperwork (what to save, what to shred) during the past few weeks in preparation for selling his house, Tom and I have gained a greater appreciation for his interest in space travel. I guess what we save shows what we treasure.
Jesse had held onto many newspapers, patches, coffee table books, letters, and other memorabilia that chronicled the latest in space ventures at the time. He must have been thrilled when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. He would be even more excited to learn what has happened since.
Jesse’s interest is definitely linked to his work in quality assurance in the ’60s at North American Rockwell, verifying that proper procedures were followed in building or modifying various space vehicles, especially the numerous Apollos. In later years, he also worked on the Space Shuttle and GPS satellites.
We don’t really know whether Jesse worked specifically on Apollo 11, but he certainly did save news articles about its launch. While it was important to Jesse, it was also significant to me.
I happened to be at Cape Canaveral in Florida at the time of Apollo 11’s liftoff, watching the whole spectacle through a chain-link fence along a busy highway. I recall lots of people lined up along the fence, yelling and shouting while they tried to jockey around to get a better view.
The July 16, 1969 edition of the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, pictured near the top of this blog post, comically summarized the situation then: “America’s great names and little people gathered for the momentous sendoff.” I guess my claim to fame is that I was one of those “little people.”
This post sure brings back memories. My dad and Father In Law both worked for Rockwell during this era and my husband decided to ask my dad if we could get married during the moonwalk.
Oh, I love your comment, Deb! So did you get married during the moonwalk?
I probably never told you–as it never came up in all those years as office partners–that Frank was a member of the Apollo 11 Recovery Team on the US Hornet.
Wow! That’s pretty amazing and something to remember!
I found the comments as interesting as your topic!
Yes! I love it when someone comments. We can always learn, be inspired, or share a laugh with others. Both of the comments on this post come from two of my teacher friends Deb and Georgia. Deb and I taught together in a junior high learning center in Placentia many years ago. I vaguely recall that her dad worked in aerospace at one time. Georgia and I taught at Rio Hondo College where we shared an office for 23 years. Yet, according to my recollection and hers, the topic of Apollo 11 never came up.