July 20, 2009
Purdue employees share their stories about the moon landing
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. Purdue Today asked University employees where they were when Purdue alumnus Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon, and how that moment affected them.
Neal Houze, professor of chemical engineering:
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On July 20, 1969, I was returning to the States after an 18-month post-doc in the Netherlands and on my way to become a faculty member at Purdue. My family and I were on a German freighter, the M.S. Hasselberg, and were four of the eight passengers on the ship.
On July 20, I was in the wheelhouse of the ship with the captain and officers, and we listened to the words of Armstrong via shortwave radio out of Montreal. I had to explain some of what was happening in German to the crew, as I could speak German and the officers, who did speak English, still wanted me to explain the significance of the event to them in their native language.
I remember how it felt to be connected to the world via the moon even though we were in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with no one else in sight.
Molly Madison, secretary, College of Liberal Arts:
When Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon, I was 5 years old. I was on a camping trip with my family. There was only one camper that had a television set, and we were all crowded around to watch the event unfold. It was the highlight of that particular trip!
Linda Rose, operations coordinator, Humanities, Social Science, Education and Business Division of Purdue Libraries:
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The camp director felt this event important enough to somehow rig up a small, black and white television using an elaborate system of antennas. We crowded all of the kids into the small cabin with as many as 10 sitting on the edge of each bunk their legs swinging.
We had the light off and it was quite dark. The TV glowed like the moon itself. When the moment came, for once, all wiggling, giggling and gum popping stopped as everyone's attention focused on the small screen. You could feel the sense of pride and awe among us and the kids remained subdued that evening.
As an aside, my grandfather, who was well into his 80s at the time, never believed man walked on the moon.
Libby Richardson, HR appointment specialist:
When Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon, I was living with my parents again with my 4-month-old daughter while my husband (at that time) was serving with the U.S. military in Germany.
I sat in the floor in front of the television, played with my baby, talked with my father and watched the moon landing.
At the time, I wondered if my husband was able to watch it.
Thinking back today, I miss the talks with my father and mother about world events. But I remember that to be able to watch it on television as it happened was seriously awesome and I felt we were so technologically advanced as a human race.
Today I often say "we can put a man on the moon," but we can't accomplish other things. Sigh!
Julie Gray, Purdue Extension:
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I was a little girl (8 years old), and I vividly remember my parents allowing me to set up a sleeping bag in our TV room in preparation for the landing.
They woke me up when the TV broadcast began — not sure when it was, but I think it was in the middle of the night. It was fuzzy, and I really could not see it that well. We had a black and white TV. It all seemed so strange.
I remember us going outside at some point and looking for the moon and talking about how men were there. My parents were so excited and kept telling me this was something I'd remember the rest of my life.
Well, I certainly did. Since that time, I have always been fascinated by space. I have a telescope and often star-gaze.
I am hopeful that I live long enough to see man land on Mars.
Virginia R. Ferris, professor of entomology:
When Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, I was with my family in our travel trailer, parked for the night at a campground in Tucumcari, New Mexico. (We were on a soil sample collecting trip in Southwest U.S.)
My husband and I had watched Sputnik circling overhead a decade or so before and were thrilled at the moon venture. We watched the moon landing and listened to Armstrong's famous words on a tiny grainy black and white TV set up in our trailer.
Karen Hosterman, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, HRS WorkLife Programs:
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I lived in State College, Pa., at the time, and we still had a black and white television. My best friend Barb, who lived across the street, had a brand-new color television. It was amazing!
I remember being torn as to whether I was going to watch it with my family or watch it in color at Barb's house. It didn't take me too long — I elected to go across the street and watch it in color!
I remember feeling anxious for the astronauts as they touched down and eventually made their way out of the aircraft. Barb and I speculated: Would a moon monster get them? Would they sink into the moon's soft, but dusty terrain? Could it hold them? We didn't want them to venture too far from Apollo 11; we weren't sure if they would get back. All we could think about was their safety.
I also felt very proud that the astronauts were representing the United States of America. What a great country! When they staked the American flag into the ground I remember tearing up. It was a great moment. I'll never forget it.
Kim Cook, assistant computer services manager, Department of Agricultural Economics:
I'd just graduated from high school earlier that summer. It was a warm night so we had the windows and doors open at my house.
I remember turning up the volume on the television and stepping outside the front door. I was able to find a spot where I could look back and forth between the moon and the television — listening/watching the broadcast and gazing up at the moon where the action was taking place.
I'd pretty much grown up with the space program: Echo I, Mercury and Gemini launches and splashdowns during grade school and junior high. I knew I was watching a historic moment in the making. Truly unforgettable.
Shelly Cochran, director of Food Stores:
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I was 9 years old and living in England at the time of the first moon landing. It was broadcast live, late at night. My parents woke my sister and I to watch it live. They told us it was history in the making and we needed to be a part of it.
We huddled around a black and white TV to watch Neil Armstrong jump from the module onto the moon's surface, while uttering those historic words: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
At the time I didn't understand the relevance of what was happening. It really hit me when I stood in the Milestone of Flight hall in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. I stood and looked at the Wright brothers' plane from 1903, and my eyes moved around the room to the lunar module from 1969.
I suddenly realized that all this had happened in less than one person's lifetime. What an amazing feat. Since then I have joined the staff here at Purdue and am proud to be a small part of this great institution.
Mary Sego, library assistant, Purdue University Libraries' Archives and Special Collections:
I can vividly remember that day, even though I was a mere youngster at the time. That Sunday we had a family outing to the Oxford pool. Later, we went to my grandparents' home, and three generations watched Neil Armstrong take the first walk on the moon. I remember being enthralled with it all, and looking at the moon in a different way that night! Years later I was again enthralled, as I watched Mr. Armstrong at the dedication of Neil Armstrong Hall. It was one of those moments a person felt so proud to be a Boilermaker, and so very happy for Mr. Armstrong!
Don Coller, director of football operations, Intercollegiate Athletics:
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I was 16 years old, in my first summer job, working as a dishwasher at the Manchester Country Club in Manchester, N.H. Minimum wage was $1.30 an hour, and if I wanted to drive the family car, I had to pay my share of the car insurance increase with my job earnings.
The club manager had a strong belief in the value of work ethic and held us to the same standard. My partner and I had been washing dishes the entire day and had been discussing whether or not we should stop working as the landing approached. After much debate about whether the manager would fire us if he caught us watching the TV, we decided to leave the kitchen and watch the landing. This was history, and if we lost our jobs it would be worth it.
As we were absorbed in the landing, the manager came into the room where we were watching and stood with us, never saying a word. My partner and I were really nervous about the landing and our jobs, but did not move, mesmerized by the images from the moon on the TV. After the landing was safely completed, the manager looked at us both and said, "Wow, that was something, wasn't it boys," turned around and walked away.
We went back to work and finished the summer as dishwashers.
The manager was right; that was something.
Sharon Stokes, clerk, University Residences Directors' Office:
My daughter, Shelly, was born on July 12, 1969. While feeding her, I switched on the TV and there it was — the moon landing!
I watched the whole broadcast in absolute awe of the incredible event I had the privilege to witness and share with my precious newborn daughter. When the American flag was planted in the surface of the moon, I felt my heart would burst with pride. It was the most wonderful and inspiring thing I have ever seen and that memory will be with me always.
While the country will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, our family will be celebrating my daughter's 40th birthday as well!
Steve Rye, member of Purdue University Religious Leaders:
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Later, I came to understand my uncle was an engineer at Honeywell. Because he worked on the Apollo project, this event has held a lingering sense of special pride for our family. Whenever he would recall his work, my uncle would remind us that the understanding of alloys used in vehicle engines today was furthered by the space program during those years. These alloys allow vehicles to last far longer than they ever could before. (A counter-argument to those who say the space program gave us only "Velcro.")
T.R. Oneal, academic adviser, Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology:
I was just 16 months old at the time. My mother shares the story that she sat all of us down in front of the TV. When he landed, she gave us all seven of us a piece of cheese and told us "now we know the moon's not made of cheese." Later, she said she held us to the window of our house and showed us the moon and told us that there were people actually up there.
I, of course, don't remember any of this, but it does make for a good story from my mother — true or not.
Peg Wier, assistant director of admissions:
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Living back in Indiana again, my whole family stayed up to watch the Apollo 11 landing. My grandmother was visiting, and I was struck by how amazing this must be for her: she remembered a time when the only means of travel was by foot or by horse. My mother was not so amazed at the feat, but that we could broadcast it live on television.
My attitude was more of "this is just the next step" for NASA. Three very different generational perspectives.
Tom Jaskal, pest/rodent control technician, Operations and Maintenance:
I was in Vietnam, and landing on the moon was the least of my concerns.
Maxine Whitus, account clerk, Fiscal Affairs office of Physical Facilities:
I was 9 years old and remember during our third-grade class being mesmerized by the event as our teacher wheeled in a television set and allowed us to view footage of that historical event. We were all completely glued to that black and white set, extremely full of pride that a United States astronaut was the first to walk on the moon. There was not one peep out of the class during the entire viewing!
Tim Singleton, general manager, WBAA-AM and FM:
I remember the day well. First, my wife and I became engaged that day (which she doesn't let me forget!). I had just graduated from college with a B.S. in Radio-TV (yes, Indiana University).
I was at home during the landing, watching on a small black and white Motorola TV set. I had a very cheap 8 mm film camera, and I set it up in front of the TV and filmed the first step on the moon. I still have that film — grainy and hard to see as it is.
I was always interested in the space program, and used to record on audio tape the NBC coverage of the Mercury program while I was high school age. One of the broadcasters was Jay Barbree, whom I remember well. I mention that because I went to the liftoff for STS-125 last month (the last servicing mission for the Hubble Space Telescope), and he was there. I had a chance to talk with him. He told me that NBC had just recently hosted a luncheon celebrating his 50 years with NBC and that they had scoured the country for recordings of him. Unfortunately I had recordings, but had destroyed them in recent years thinking that there was no need to keep them. I was wrong!
Terry Blaschke, secretary to the dean, College of Liberal Arts:
I had just graduated from high school that year. My family had friends over that day, and we watched the astronauts walk on the moon. We had all followed the space program of the 1960s, yet we were amazed at this extraordinary feat. The event gave us great pride and filled us with hope about the future and what wonderful things could be accomplished.
Joe Conte, manager of consulting and training, IT Teaching and Learning Technologies:
I was a college student, working that summer for the Post Office in Tampa, Fla. I was one of only two employees chosen to collect mail from all the city mailbox pickup sites that day.
As we were given double pay for working the federal holiday, an additional time and a half for hours 8-12 and double again for hours 12-16, it was quite the perk.
Armed with my transistor radio, I stopped briefly to listen to the event under the shade of an oak tree in the Hyde Park area of the city. The moment was very motivating, and encouraged me to pursue the physics degree I had recently begun at Florida State University.
Bruce Carlstedt, professor of pharmacy practice:
Our oldest son, Eric, was born on June 23, 1969, just days before the landing. So that he could someday say he saw the landing, we placed him in his chair in front of the TV and together we watched the famous event.
Judy Russell, administrative assistant, Strategic Planning and Assessment, College of Engineering:
I was very pregnant with our first child, my husband was stationed with the Army in Germany, and I was staying with my parents in Decatur, Ill., until after the baby came.
My parents and I visited my in-laws to watch the broadcast of the moon landing. After the broadcast as we were leaving my in-laws, I told my mother that I had been experiencing pressure in my abdomen. She told me I was in labor. (Back then there were no prenatal classes to prepare expecting parents for the birth or care of the baby so I was clueless.)
We went to the hospital and after 36 hours of constant labor, our son was born by caesarean section. His birthday is July 21. So, he missed the landing date by one day.
Our family will never forget July 20 or July 21.
Kevin Taylor, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering technology:
I was almost 12. I was spending the summer at my grandfather's cottage in Erie, Pa., with my mom and sister. It was a clear night, and I remember looking up that night thinking how amazing it was that there were people walking around up there. I suppose that was an influential moment in becoming an engineer.
James Vetzel, environmental technician, Radiological and Environmental Management:
Where was I? Somewhere off the coast of Vietnam shelling the NVN/Viet Cong.
Brenda S. Fox, secretary/clerk, Purdue Pharmacy:
My memory of Apollo 11 was that it was on my 10th birthday. I will never forget. I thought, "Wow, they are going into space on my birthday, that is so cool."
I remembered constantly watching it on the television for every second that I could. I was so excited to see the shuttle land. I want to say, Great job, guys.
Becky Atkinson-Haley, secretary, Department of Animal Sciences:
I was stationed at Barstow, Calif., and was in the Marine Corps. Since I was a lowly LCPL, I was working a second job as a bar waitress at the staff NCO club. All the regulars were there, and literally everything stopped to watch the landing and first step.
Cathy Sleeth, associate director, Office of Admissions:
I remember very clearly that my family was sitting around our TV in Guadalajara, Mexico watching the landing and the first steps. The 20th of July is my father's birthday, and I think that the landing and the marvel of watching Neil walk on the moon was the best present he ever had.
Sandy Campbell, clerk, Office of the Registrar:
When Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon I had just been married about 18 months and was up with our baby, who was about 3 months old. I remember thinking what a neat thing it was to see man on the moon. When I was little I used to think about the "man in the moon," and I was actually a part of history that saw man walk on the moon, something I never dreamed would happen.
Angela Butz, records assistant, Purdue Alumni Association:
I was at home with my entire family glued to the television to watch the landing live. It was a profound experience to see pictures live from the moon. My dad took slides from the program, and I still have them.
I was only a little kid then but I knew something very important had happened. It was a remarkable event. Ever since then I have watched all the launches that I could. I cried for those who lost their lives when Challenger and Columbia were destroyed.
Sara Reichler, secretary, College of Consumer and Family Sciences:
I was a girl of 12 living with my parents in Louisville during the Apollo 11 mission. We had just gotten a color television, and my parents, older sister, Gale, and I were glued to it as history unfolded. I remember the voices and faces of Walter Cronkite, Frank Reynolds, and especially Jules Bergmann, the science reporter who seemed to know everything.
During the time of the Apollo 11 mission, the weather in Louisville was very cool and overcast, probably in the low 60s during the days. Now, usually, July in Louisville found 85-90 degree temperatures and humidity in the 70s.
I remember being out in the front yard with my father, in long sleeves and slacks, and a neighbor across the street from us, Mrs. Woods, was outside going on and on about how this moon mission was messing with our weather and that's why it was so cold. She was just sure they were doing something on the moon that was going to control our weather. She was almost shouting so that several neighbors were party to her rant. My father was very polite, even though he thought she was a crackpot, and tried to quiet her down. I just thought she was crazy.
The moment came for us to watch the first steps on the moon, and I think that as Neil Armstrong uttered his first words standing on the moon, we all had wet eyes. It was an incredibly moving event, both historically and personally. What child doesn't spend time looking at the moon and spinning all manner of wonderful yarns about touching it? And I thank goodness for all of those other men and women who watched the heavens as children and grew up to make the dream real, to bring space closer to us.
Shortly after this event my Aunt Sara sent me a pin, a gold representation of the moon with an astronaut and flag colored in red, white and clear crystals. I have since lost it, sadly. Several years ago at a gathering of some of my close friends who are scattered all over the country, we watched a movie called "The Dish," which is about the radio telescope in Australia that bounced the signal from the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. (It's a wonderful movie about this event that will make you re-live it as if it were yesterday and I highly recommend it). At that gathering, one of the women gave us all replications of the Apollo 11 Mission Patch. We were all like children receiving it. It's one of my prized possessions.
Jeff Whitten, professor of computer and information technology:
I was camping with my family at Raccoon Lake State Park in Parke County, Ind. We were huddled around a campfire watching a small television powered through my father's camper. Several other families had joined us for the event. I think that was the night I decided I was going to attend Purdue University, because that is where Neil Armstrong (and Gus Grissom) went to school.
Mike Leap, operations storekeeper, Windsor Dining Court:
I was only 10 years old at the time, but my parents let me and my brother and sister stay up to watch it happen. I don't think my younger brother stayed awake, but I remember watching it on a snowy black and white TV set and can still remember it today.
Mona Martinek, Purdue retiree:
My parents, brother and I (we were in high school and junior high) were moving into a new home in Westlake Village, Calif. We had always been enthralled by space flight of any kind, watching news reports as often as they broadcast. So we made darn sure we had our TV hooked up one place or the other (I can't even remember which) so we could watch coverage as the event approached and occurred.
I remember being utterly amazed at what we were watching and couldn't think of anything else for days after, would look up at the moon and just think of what we had witnessed.
Monty Henderson, business advisor. Hoosier Heartland Small Business Development Center:
I was 9 years old. My parents had some friends over. It was late in the evening, and it seemed odd to have a gathering at that hour.
Mom made snacks, and we ate them on a TV tray on the floor in front of the black and white television in the living room. We kids were allowed to stay up late and watch it, which meant it was a special deal.
We had talked about it a lot at school, and I was excited. We watched every second of the coverage. I was scared that something may go wrong. We were all very quiet until we realized that the astronauts were safe and Neil Armstrong made those first steps.
One of the other kids, who was younger than me, did not believe they were on the moon. I remember trying so hard to convince him that it was real.
Gail Overholser, estates and trusts administrator, University Development Office:
My parents had recently purchased our first color television set, which was great. All of us met in the family room in the basement and watched the landing.
I remember being very scared for the astronauts, thinking that the Eagle or the astronauts would sink through the sand or that the space suits would collapse or be eaten by acid in the atmosphere. Then, I hoped they would not wander too far from the spacecraft because they might run out of air or lose their way back. We didn't know what to expect at all. The astronauts had so much courage.
It was another scary moment when the Eagle left the moon and had to reconnect back with the main spaceship. Looking back, and knowing it all worked out so well, it is easy to forget about the risks they all took.
The proudest moments were when Neil Armstrong took that first step on the moon and then when he and Buzz Aldrin placed the American flag in honor of our great nation. It was all such an incredible miracle, and the United States of America was a proud and strong nation then.
Nancy Bennett, assistant director, Study Abroad:
I remember quite well the day Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, July 20, 1969. As a rising senior in college, I was participating in a summer study abroad program in Vienna, Austria.
I didn't have access to any television and very little radio; I learned of the historic event from Austrians who were guiding our group. The Austrians were incredibly impressed with the event, and I was very proud of NASA and the United States that day.
It's especially interesting to me now because I've made my career in the field of study abroad, and one of the programs I've worked on this summer is sending Purdue AAE majors to study in Germany to learn from colleagues at the DLR, the German equivalent to NASA. (See http://www.dlr.de/en ).
Michele Tomarelli, post doctoral research associate, School of Engineering Education:
I discovered science fiction in the second grade. Someone lent me a copy of "Beast Master" by Andre Norton. When I asked if there were any more like that, the librarian pointed me to whole shelves of it!
Movies and television sci fi followed. Over all, it was dreadful stuff. My brother was an extra in "The Blob," but even that couldn't make a bad film good. And why were women in sci-fi such lame characters? You can imagine that "Star Trek," as stagy as it was, was a huge improvement.
The worst problem with sci-fi, though, was that it wasn't real. Why was it taking so long to get into space?
When it finally came, the lunar landing was mystical. We watched it on TV, and it didn't matter that the picture was almost indiscernible. There was a man bouncing across the surface of the moon! When we heard "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," I cried.
That night we went out to look at the moon, and somehow it just looked different. Since then we have had Voyagers, and shuttles, and Mirs, and Hubble telescopes, and little rovers that get stuck in Martian dirt. We were living in Texas when bad weather caused the first female shuttle pilot, Eileen Collins, to land her ship in Houston instead of Canaveral. I took our sleepy little daughter under the night sky and held her up, Lion King style, so she could see the shooting star with the beautiful golden contrail. Wonderful! Yeah, I cried.
We can't stop now. If you don't feel the need to explore, then remember that every time we make innovations in our space program, the rest of science and technology always benefit. Our space program has antiquated equipment, and no budget. That has to change. "Make it so": I want my grandchildren to point out the permanent lunar space station to my teary old eyes, and know that it is real.
Claudia Mornout, director of Clinical Education in Speech-Language Pathology and professor of clinical education:
I was flying on a commercial flight from Washington, D.C., to Detroit. The weather was awful with tremendous rain and wind. The plane landed with much rocking and bouncing. Once we landed, the pilot announced, "I want to be the first to tell you that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and WE have landed in Detroit!" Somehow both events still seem of importance!
Tom Brown, HVAC Maintenance, Operations and Maintenance:
I was 12 years old when my Purdue alum father (Class of 1950) gathered the family around the black and white television to watch the first moon landing with Neil Armstrong. My father also recorded the TV scenes with his 8mm camera. I still have the original reel and have transferred it onto VHS tape.
It was indeed, "One giant step for a man, and one giant leap for mankind." Including even us in southern Illinois!
Debra Syester, family nutrition advisor:
I was about 13 years old when this occurred. I was pretty immature as a kid, but I do remember walking to the store for my mom and looking up at the sky wondering what it was like up there for them. I looked out at night wondering the same thing. I guess I thought maybe I could see them.