My Time With the Astronaughts

In 1983, when I served as the chairman of the Aviation Committee—and, as the youngest member ever to be elected to the board of directors at that time—of the Chicago Association of Commerce & Industry (now called the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce), I had the great honor and privilege of serving as the moderator for a panel of former astronauts on the U.S. apace program, which was part of the activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago (now called the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry). This was at the same time that the movie “The Right Stuff”debuted.

When I had the astronauts--DeKe Slayton, James McDivitt, Gene Cernan and Buzz Aldrin-- all lined up to go on stage for the start of the panel, I had them each autograph a copy of the event invitation, which you can see above.

In my conversations with each of these space pioneers, they spoke with reverence of their awe and wonder in witnessing the vastness of space, and the beauty of the “blue ball” of earth floating in the darkness.

I had some sense of what it must have been like to touch the face of God.