Every generation has its defining moment.
For mine, it was the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. For my son, it was September 11. For this upcoming generation, I'm thinking it will be the lockdown months of the pandemic.
For a different generation, it was the explosion of the Challenger on January 28, 1986, 37 years ago yesterday.
On January 28, 1986 the U.S. space shuttle Challenger exploded,
on live TV, 73 seconds after its launch. All seven crew members,
including a civilian, were killed. Tragically, the explosion
was caused by an O Ring failure - something so small caused something so
big. A local company, IBM (yes, IBM originated locally where I live) helped with the investigation as they built the computers on the flight.
At one time, the space race was an extension of what we called the Cold
War between the United States and the then-Soviet Union, which is where
some irony came in.
For years, we had to pay Russia to transport our astronauts to the
International Space Station. Now, we are able to
do it ourselves once again, thanks to SpaceX.
We mourn all those who died, but Christa McAuliffe, the teacher from New Hampshire, is the one I really think about the most. She was selected out of 11,000 applicants for the opportunity to participate. She was going to teach lessons in space.
Now, in her native New Hampshire, McAuliffe is honored with her own day each January 28. There are scholarships and sabbatical programs in her name.
There is even a commemorative coin minted in her honor, distributed in 2021. On the coin is a quote from McAuliffe: "I touch the future. I teach."
It turns out one of my Facebook friends knew her sister. That's the wonder of the Internet, that, in ways, we are all connected (for good or bad).
I will always remember this day, January 28, 1986, for another reason. My father had died suddenly days before, and I was numb with grief. On January 28, I was finally back at work. My office got a call from a client, telling us of the disaster. None of us could believe it - and this great grief cut through the grief and numbness of the previous days.
I cried. I mourned. I mourned for my father, the astronauts, and our country.
The explosion of the Challenger challenges us all. We must not give up space. And, more importantly, we must not give up the fight to make teaching a career that both attracts and retains (and treats fairly and with respect) those who teach the generations that will determine our future one day.
...I was in high school when Kennedy was shot and I know exactly where I was and what I was doing.
ReplyDeleteI remember that sad day so well. One of my caseworkers came running down the hall to my office, sobbing, as she delivered the Challenger news. I think of it now as a turning point. Before that, I somehow still had faith in a "happily ever after" ending to events, even after being traumatized by the Kennedy assassination. No more.
ReplyDeleteTeachers are the most under-rated, under-valued members of our communities. I admire them immensely. I know where I was when many world events took place but I would hesitate to call any of them a "defining moment." If push came to shove the removal of the Berlin Wall would come close.
ReplyDeleteI was at work when Challenger exploded. So sad.
ReplyDeleteTruly a tragedy. I feel sad and pray for the ones that the families that mourn them
ReplyDeleteYup, that was my generation. I was a freshman in high school, and I remember them wheeling a TV into the classroom. I was thinking about this yesterday when I noted the date.
ReplyDeleteI was just out of high school and I was home that day.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on and stay safe
ReplyDeleteI am originally from NH, but was in college in UT when this happened.