The relative asked me if I knew him, but I couldn't recall - didn't have him in any of my classes, I didn't run around with him. He wasn't in band; at least, I do not recall seeing him even though the '79 El Viajero says he was in concert and stage band. Maybe some of you knew him? I'm surprised that I didn't - we appeared to have many of the same interests.

Now I wake up to hear that the space shuttle we have all come to take for granted (again) has had something terrible go wrong, resulting in the apparent deaths of all aboard, and catapulting William McCool and Coronado into the national light. This time the space shuttle program crew has become much more personal to me, and to some of you, more so than even the Challenger accident in the 1980s. Reporters around the country have been calling my house, hoping for some insight into what he was like so that the rest of the world can get a better grip on what kind of person he was.

(NASA press kit - warning! It's a 13MB Adobe .pdf)

I CAN tell you that just because he came from our school and graduated from our class and lived in Lubbock, that says something about him. He would have been highly enthusiastic about a career in NASA, from following the space program in it's earlier years. He would have watched Don Knotts as "The Reluctant Astronaut" on Lubbock TV, as well as "Lost In Space", "Star Trek" and any number of other programs about space exploration and space fantasy. He apparently found his passion, which is a rare thing. I don't think it's a great thing to go before your time is up (hey, God knows!) but if you have to go, I would want to go the same way - doing something I loved.

I live near Six Flags Over Texas. There's a ride there that opened up a few years ago - it's changed some since then, but it was called "The Right Stuff" at the time. When time came to open the ride to the general public, some former astronauts were asked to be on hand to dedicate the ride - I believe it was (now senator) John Glenn and 'Buzz' Aldrin.

I remember thinking, "Who cares about the ride? I want to meet the ASTRONAUTS!"

Why is that, do you suppose? I think it was because since my own childhood, the people I looked up to (besides Batman and Robin, and Superman) were the NASA astronauts. They were my heroes because they were doing something to further the cause and the good of mankind. That means everybody. And that's cool. Plus, they were going forth knowingly into what was then 'the great unknown', realizing the danger. I find that a 'hero' is "...a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities." (Random House College Dictionary) That seems to fit what I and many others think when we think about the astronauts.

I was in Houston a few years ago on vacation, and decided to visit the Johnson Space center. I had forgotten how fascinated I was by the space program! (My poor wife did not share my enthusiasm, but she saw mine and endured it) I wanted to introduce my children to the things I saw when I was only in the 3rd grade at Maedgen Elementary - the giant Saturn V rocket, the lunar module, moon rocks, Mission Control - everything. But now it's routine, something we take for granted - until a tragedy occurs. It's no longer an exciting event when the space shuttle pierces the sky on it's way into space.

How about the rest of you, 1979 Coronado alumni? Did you know William McCool?
Send me your thoughts and memories (and whether or not you want your e-mail posted with them!) and I will post them as I get them...

Kelley Thompson