A Challenging Moment in Time

When one of my nephews turned 40 earlier this month I realized, holy crap, high school was quite some time ago!

A clear memory for me – besides his birth on Elvis' birthday – was the space shuttle Challenger tragedy. 40 years ago today.

It was mostly a big deal to watch in school because there was a nontypical-astronaut teacher on board – Christa McAuliffe. I mean she was from New Hampshire, I believe, so no ties with Luck, Wisconsin. Yet there were some TV's on at school in the library and few other places.

I happened to be in typing class (yes, it was a thing) when the launch was happening. Then suddenly another teacher came in and told our instructor Mr. Lake something. Since we were approaching the end of class, he let us know. In a choked up voice because, well, it was a fellow teacher that gave her life.

I remember I had study hall the next hour and was grateful so I could watch the repetitive footage in the library. It still didn't seem real because it looked like one part of the shuttle was separating from the shuttle like it was supposed to.

I think it really did take the eyewitnesses a few minutes to realize what they'd just seen as well.

Up to that point, I sort of remembered to TV footage of John Hinkley Jr.'s assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan. But even then, after knowing my mom's account of JFK's assassination, it failed in comparison in terms of hype and memorability.

But 40 years later, I'd like to think positive moments in history were part of vivid memories, but instead we have weird things like 9/11, Covid, January 6th, and now... ICE in Minnesota. No political commentary here. Just praying for many nieces and nephews and family in the Metro.

It is, indeed, another Challenge-ing moment in time.

Up in the Atmosphere

We've gotten so spoiled with the brilliant Northern Lights displays in the past 2 years that I think we sometimes forget to look up and appreciate the beauty of the stars on a cold, nearly cloudless night.

My inspiration? Book Club, of course!

Tonight 5 of us were able to meet at Ida's and discuss Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. We don't always go back to the same authors time and again but it happens we read her Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising for previous discussions in years past. Plus several of us read her Daisy Jones and the Six book. She's good. What can we say?

Plus, our club is magical at picking out great books 9 out of 10 times.

I latched on to the storylines of this book for several reasons. First it was set in the early 1980s when the lead female characters were training in the NASA space program. It was around that time (which they obviously mention in the book) that Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983. I just remember how excited my sister Romey was about that because she had lived in Orlando a few years in the late 1970s and was in tune with the news there.

The second thing was that all the fictional stuff in the book came before my first memorable historic moment of childhood – when teacher Christa McAuliffe and her crew members died in the January 28, 1986, explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. 

Reading about the hype (and frankly, doubt) about women in space was interesting. But there were so many complex relationships that made the story so moving. That again, I'm listening to audio and crying in my car. 

Give it a read or a listen. I'm a pretty tough rater but I gave it a 4.5 out of 5. And if you have time, check out some of her other titles. I mean what else is there to do in the winter in the Midwest? We can stargaze and take pictures – but that lasts about 35 seconds before it's time to come in!

By the way, our January book is The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb. I'm already on page 80 and riveted (in, I'll admit, a heartbreaking way).

But if you've read Atmosphere, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Be careful out there and stay warm!

My Generation's JFK Moment

Every generation has its defining moments in history where everyone remembers "where were you when...?"

For my parents, it was when JFK was assassinated. For my son, it was 9/11. For me, one of them was Jan. 28, 1986, the day the space shuttle Challenger blew up.

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the disaster, and I am among the Americans old enough to remember watching the fateful flight. Well, let me clarify. I watched replays immediately after the event.

On Jan. 28, 1986, while I sat in Mr. Lake's accounting class at Luck High School, the Challenger exploded 73 seconds after takeoff, killing all seven on board and forever changing the lives of those who witnessed it.

Even though it was the mid-'80s, not every major event had live television coverage. This did, however, because it was historic before it left the launch pad. There was so much hype leading up to it because it was the first time a teacher was on board with the 6 astronauts. At that point in time, Christa McAuliffe was as much a household name as Mary Lou Retton, Tom Cruise and Madonna. Only in this case, she was an everyday person with whom we could connect.

A big deal but still not big enough we had TVs in all the classrooms. There was one on in the library, though, and someone quickly went from room to room telling the teachers the news. I don't think we got out of class early, but the next hour I had a study hall and went to the library to watch the footage. Over and over again.

On a small-ish, grainy television, you still couldn't grasp the magnitude. Did it completely explode or did it just break apart and there'd be survivors landing in a capsule somewhere in the ocean?

It was surreal. Every time we'd watch it, we somehow hoped that this time, the Challenger would make it past the 73-second mark and continue on into history for a different reason. Sort of like 9/11. Every time you saw the plane hit the tower, you think, "What? Did that just happen? Did I really just see that happen?"

The event had more of an impact, for me anyway, than the attempt on President Reagan's life 5 years earlier. Maybe because I was older now. Maybe because he survived. Or maybe because it confirmed there was just another crazy person in the world. Keep in mind that came at the end of the Iran hostage crisis. So just like today, we wondered, "What is this world coming to?"

But to see the space shuttle explode was a disturbing reality check. We grow up thinking we are this advanced, powerful nation that leads in everything – and something somewhat routine "technically" goes wrong and 7 of our citizens die? Just like that.

And on a more personal level, our teachers became human. I remember seeing our librarian cry. The tragedy had a profound impact on all of them. Christa McAuliffe was one of them, their sister. They were probably thinking, "That could have been me. Could have been any one of us."

Just like we think when tragedy strikes on any scale. "That could have been me," followed by, "Thank you, God, that it wasn't."

And bless those today who still feel the pain... who still need to heal. Amen.

Remembering

I wonder sometimes if the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, will always be so fresh in my mind. It's 11 years now and I can still remember it like it was yesterday. It was so shocking and surreal, I know I'll never forget it -- not entirely, anyway.

I remember once in high school I had to interview my mom about certain events in her past. Twenty years after the tragedy, she could still recall in vivid detail where she was and what she was doing when she heard JFK was shot. She was doing laundry at home and heard it on the radio first.

Of course, I can still recall Jan. 28, 1986, when the space shuttle Challenger blew up. I also remember the day when John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate President Reagan and did manage to shoot press secretary James Brady. In both cases, our regular school day was interrupted and we could spend our study hall in the library watching news coverage.

I guess it's pretty unlikely those of us old enough to remember 9/11 will forget it. Carter was only 3 so he won't empathize with the emotion of the day, but he has learned many times in school about the historical significance of the tragedy.

Today, social media sites were abuzz with various photos and meaningful images related to Sept. 11 and our need to remember to stay strong as a country. Since I take care of my nephew's racing fan page, I created this image for his site...

(Yep, me and PhotoShop -- we're a team some days!)

On a positive note, I know a few couples celebrating wedding anniversaries today. And, most importantly, Jim's godfather Uncle Frank has a birthday. As luck would have it (or as cross country schedule would have it), we got to stop in and see him, too.

Carter's meet today was over at Tiger Stadium -- not Detroit, but Stratford. Jim and I thought we left work in time but we got there just as the starting gun went off. So we did get to see pretty much all of Carter's race and I did get some pictures.

It was hot again -- about 85 degrees -- and super windy so it was a slow run for the boy (and many others). His time was his worst of the 5 meets so far so I won't share that. I think he still feels ready to puke!

After we saw the girls run and middle school, we headed to see Uncle Frank and Aunt Colleen in nearby Marshfield for a quick visit. Always great to see them -- and especially great when Colleen sends home some of her canned goods. We'll have some yummy "refrigerator pickles" with our next meal and Jim can enjoy peach jam on his toast. Yes, we are that spoiled.

We got back to Rapids the same time Carter and the bus did. Got home at 8 and are jamming in homework, blogging and some of those "ducks" we're still getting in a row. I better log off before they head down stream.

Bridging the Gap

Not to age myself, but I recall a quarter of a century ago today, sitting in my high school accounting class when someone burst in and said, "The space shuttle blew up!"

What? That can't be!

We sat in disbelief while we tried to absorb the news and our teacher pondered whether we should all get out of class and go down the hall to the library, where at least there was a TV with a connection to the outside world (as opposed to those that just hooked up to VHS players). He didn't let us go, but I had study hall the next hour and I just watched those same 3 minutes over and over while newscasters and authorities tried to figure out what was going on and what to say about the Challenger. The teachers watching it with me were crying because, well, they lost one of their own.

It was just one of those moments in history for me that I won't forget. I have that Jan. 28 date ingrained in my head much like everyone has Dec. 7 and Sept. 11 and June 28 (oh, that's just my birthday so you can mark it on your calendar).

The amazing thing is that not only could I talk to Carter about it today, thanks to videos on the Internet these days, he could watch the event with me and see why it was memorable for this older generation. It was a bit unreal to see again. For Carter, too. I still got goose bumps and a lump in my throat. So tragic.

I am continually impressed with the different ways technology continues to bridge the gap between generations. The memorable news stories are neat to see again. But there is something else far more entertaining... Music videos!

Tonight, Daddy got to show Carter the Bohemian Rhapsody video by Queen. The 12-year-old was suitably impressed.

Then Daddy showed him a little country video on a song called Why Me, Lord? ... something he always starts singing when Carter (or Momma) does something high on the idget scale.

We were not impressed.

Giant Leaps for Mankind

One of Carter's last assignments for Social Studies this year was listing the top 10 major news events in U.S. history. Not as easy as it sounds.

In the mind of my fifth-grader anyway, wars ranked right up there along with the recent presidential election. He may not grasp the importance the creation of the assembly line or the discovery of penicillin, for example, have played in our lives.

And what about man landing on the moon?

It was 40 years ago today that Neil Armstrong first set foot on the dusty lunar surface, announcing it was a small step for a man but "a giant leap for mankind."

I was only a year old so I don't remember that any more than Carter (at age 3) recalls 9/11. But it is kind of special to say this event or that event happened in our lifetimes.

I may not recall the moon landing, but I do have vague recollections of the deaths of Elvis and Colonel Sanders (I know, weird), and clear memories of Ronald Reagan's shooting, the 1980 Olympics and the "Miracle on Ice," Mary Lou Retton 4 years later, the day the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up, both wars in Iraq and Sept. 11, 2001.

I'm not old enough to recall the Nixon scandal. I wasn't here for JFK's last day. That's why we count on the generation before us to tell us how it was to be there or see it or hear about it or experience history in their own way.

Just as my parents have shared stories with me, I've shared them with Carter and Carter will someday tell his kids those important events in history which, for him, will probably include his inside-the-park homerun in the summer of 2007. There was a whole lotta leaping for mankind (mostly joy) that day!

Gotta love history.

Small world

Friends of mine who have gone to Disney World and Disney Land say they hear the song "It's a Small World" no less than a dozen times during their visit. The lyrics are meant to bring us all closer, like one big happy family, but the song gets a bit annoying after the 8th or 9th time ... OK maybe after the 3rd time.

These days, when I think of a "small world" I look at the vast communication networks -- through phones, computers, satellites -- that make it seem like a friend or colleague in China is in the same room. All these technological advances are making this seem like a really small world.

Today, I got a chance to see just how small we are.

This afternoon we visited the state of the art planetarium at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, just up the road. It was a first visit for Carter and me -- and we were quite impressed.

The director spent the first several minutes pointing out stars, planets and constellations we likely would see on a night like tonight (close to the official end of summer). I think he could have spent the whole time teaching us on that and it would have been enough to retain. We saw the Milky Way and realize Earth is such a teeny tiny part of it. Literally a really small world.

The second part of the presentation was on the NASA space program -- its successes as well as its failures. (I still get choked up when I see the Challenger explosion from 1986.) What was interesting about this part is NASA's plans for the future. Did you know that by the time Carter graduates from high school in 2016 there may be an "outpost" on the moon? A place where astronauts and scientists can work, study and research? Incredible.

If you ever get a chance to check out a planetarium, I'd encourage you to do so. It's pretty interesting no matter what your age. And it gives you a new perspective on where we are and what's out there.

It's supposed to be a clear night tonight so I might just have to do a little star gazing in the hot tub -- hey, that's the best of both small worlds, don't ya think?