Author
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Topic: 5/23-24: Aurora 7 50th anniversary in New York
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Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42986 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-13-2012 04:30 PM
Astronaut Scholarship Foundation release Aurora 7 50th Anniversary CelebrationJoin Mercury 7 astronaut Scott Carpenter in the Big Apple for a posh celebration in honor of the 50th Anniversary of his flight, Aurora 7! This extraordinary opportunity includes two days of celebrity-worthy activities with Carpenter, his fellow astronauts, friends and family. The party begins Wednesday, May 23, when the renowned Players Club in Gramercy Park shuts down for a private dinner only for Carpenter and his guests. Founded in 1888 by Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth, the members-only Players Club is an exclusive townhouse draped in rich furnishings, brilliant stained glass and breathtaking canvases. Take in the establishment's rich history while you enjoy an intimate dinner with exquisite cuisine and luscious libations alongside American legends. After an evening recounting the amazing tale of the Mercury launch, walk in the steps of history on the flight deck of the Aurora 7 recovery ship, USS Intrepid, in a ceremony featuring Carpenter and ship crew members from that historical day! This offer has extremely limited availability and is non-transferable. Guests of these memorable events will also receive an autographed photo from Carpenter. Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, email or call 321.455.7014. Sales will close promptly at 30 tickets; no exceptions. ASF reserves the right to refuse anyone for any reason, which will be exercised in good faith. According to the Foundation, only 10 tickets remain for this event, which I hear will include the participation of several other astronauts... |
MikeSpace unregistered
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posted 05-24-2012 12:50 AM
A slideshow of the Aurora 7 50th Anniversary celebration at Players Club in New York City Wednesday 23 May 2012.If I have the energy and brave the Fleet Week road traffic I'll be at the Intrepid tomorrow. |
MarylandSpace Member Posts: 1336 From: Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 05-24-2012 07:49 AM
Excellent slide show Mike. Thank you for sharing all of your photos with us. Must have been an awesome evening with the great "lineup." I wish I could have heard all of the comments. |
Chariot412 Member Posts: 156 From: Lockport, NY, 14094 Registered: Jun 2011
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posted 05-24-2012 09:46 AM
Looked like a wonderful evening, Mike. Thank you for taking us there with your pictures. |
divemaster Member Posts: 1376 From: ridgefield, ct Registered: May 2002
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posted 05-24-2012 11:25 AM
I had the honor of being invited to this private party for Scott's 50th last evening in NYC. It was the most intimate, touching event that it was my pleasure to attend. Considering that I only knew a small handful of people, you know it was mostly family and friends — which makes perfect sense for Scott — I was thrilled to be part of it. |
BMacKinnon Member Posts: 230 From: Waterford, MI. USA Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 05-24-2012 02:28 PM
Mike, excellent photos as always! Just curious, there is a gentleman in a white jacket and blue tie that I feel I should be recognizing, but I can't - who would he be? I recognize the other astronauts on the dias. Thanks again for sharing with us. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42986 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-24-2012 02:37 PM
That would be Tom Wolfe, author of The Right Stuff. |
divemaster Member Posts: 1376 From: ridgefield, ct Registered: May 2002
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posted 05-24-2012 06:12 PM
This is the third time that I have met Tom Wolfe at one of these events. All hindsight being 20/20, I'm surprised that he hasn't been an invited guest to these events in the past. I know he lives in NYC and that's where I've always seen him, so maybe he doesn't like to travel far, but he's an incredibly interesting man. I was surprised to see him there — almost as a surprise guest — and had the wonderful chance to chat with him (while waiting on line to fill our plates). |
GoesTo11 Member Posts: 1309 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 05-24-2012 07:00 PM
In my own opinion, Tom Wolfe is America's greatest living writer. I'd have been nearly as thrilled to chat with him as I would with the astronauts!Loved the photos; looks to have been a lovely and fascinating evening. |
MikeSpace unregistered
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posted 05-25-2012 02:00 AM
Thanks all regarding photos. It was very nice. I should have noted, astronauts who attended: - Scott Carpenter
- Dave Scott
- Rusty Schweickart
- Bob Crippen
- Harrison Schmitt [arrived after dinner, before presentation]
...and Tom Wolfe, in his White, made it utterly surreal. You read about the New York clubs like The Players, and people like Tom Wolfe at them, but when you are at one of these, it's pretty cool. He looks great. I've read The Right Stuff at least a dozen times. One of Carpenter's sons showed part of a film he is working on about his father's, and John Glenn's flight. Some amazing footage, much I had not seen before. One of Carpenter's daughters mentioned they were the first family to attend a launch. |
KC Stoever Member Posts: 1012 From: Denver, CO USA Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 05-25-2012 10:57 AM
Here are my remarks delivered at the Players Club, 23 May 2012. Thank you.I am so glad to be here, with you all, for this celebration of Aurora 7 50 years later. I was delighted at first by Patty's request that I say a few words about dad and his flight. Then I realized there was a downside to my having witnessed his launch on May 24, 1962. The upside? I get to brag. The downside: my age at the time is now well documented. I'll leave the math to you. Nineteen sixty-two was a great year for me. I was in first grade, teacher's pet, my parents were on the cover of LIFE magazine. Every parent got a turn there, I thought. And 1962 was my parents' turn. And now my dad was poised to make history aboard Aurora 7 and Walt Disney released Sleeping Beauty, starring Princess Aurora. My life was complete. That was a six-year-old's view. I know now how frightening the times were. Nuclear-tipped missiles, bomb shelters, duck and cover drills, the real threat of nuclear war. I do remember my dad — thank you dad — for not sparing me. "So what do we do, Daddy, when the Bomb drops. Where do we hide?" He said simply. "Nothing. We will be vapor." But I digress. The bottom line is: I am here to honor dad. Dad: Thank you for your service to country. Thank you for your bravery. Thank you for setting a standard for young people who longed for the country to do well and to do good. Fifty years ago Scotty, Jay, Krissy, and Candy witnessed their father's launch live. We were the first children to do so. Not many people know. "Do we allow our children," my parents asked each other between March and May 1962, "to be a part of this, not knowing what will happen?" A mixture of courage and faith allowed them to place us on the beach at Cape Canaveral. Fifty years later I realize their gift to me: "You can do hard things." So thank you, dad, for your courage and faith. On edit, this is a nice image from a lovely site, Light This Candle: http://kaiyves.tumblr.com/post/23635410848/lightthiscandle-rene-carpenter-watches-the |
Chariot412 Member Posts: 156 From: Lockport, NY, 14094 Registered: Jun 2011
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posted 05-25-2012 01:41 PM
Well said... I believe quite a few of us on these forums were children of that era and your words not only bring us back, but encourage us for the future. Thank you. Oh, and thank your dad too. |
bruce Member Posts: 916 From: Fort Mill, SC, USA Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 05-25-2012 04:13 PM
Beautiful, Kris! |
DChudwin Member Posts: 1096 From: Lincolnshire IL USA Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 05-25-2012 06:00 PM
Well said, Kris. For those of us who were kids then (I was 11), it was both an exciting and scary time. Thanks for so eloquently bringing back those memories. Your Dad was, and is, a pioneer of our exploration into the universe. |
MarylandSpace Member Posts: 1336 From: Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 05-25-2012 07:49 PM
A Dynamic Pioneer! |
divemaster Member Posts: 1376 From: ridgefield, ct Registered: May 2002
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posted 05-26-2012 12:51 AM
Kris, we spoke briefly after dinner, but I want to reiterate that I was deeply moved by your well worded comments to your father. Reading them just doesn't do them justice - hearing them could easily bring a tear to your eye. |
divemaster Member Posts: 1376 From: ridgefield, ct Registered: May 2002
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posted 05-26-2012 12:58 AM
While all of the speeches were very touching and moving, I must say that I was a bit in awe of one comment by Bob Crippen — that he was a Junior in college when Scott flew on Aurora 7. It just made everything click, time wise, for me.So it was nice having a Mercury astronaut, Scott Carpenter, Gemini astronaut, Dave Scott, Apollo astronauts, Dave Scott, Rusty Schweikart and Harrison Schmitt, along with the first Shuttle astronaut, Bob Crippen all in one spot on a very special night. Along with Scott's family, it was quite moving - and not the typical astronaut get together. There was a lot of love and respect in the room that night and I will treasure it forever. And to be personally invited by the guest of honor and his wife is even more special to me. Some of us have been a bit spoiled over the years being around these American heroes. I consider myself lucky and blessed to have the relationships that I do with many of them and to be part of a very exciting night as this one was. I also had a little piece of Wally and Gordo on my person so that they could enjoy it, too. |
divemaster Member Posts: 1376 From: ridgefield, ct Registered: May 2002
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posted 05-26-2012 01:00 AM
One more thing — if you go to Scott's website and hit the multimedia page, there's now a video posted of Monique McCall singing a song that was co-written by Scott. So we can now call him Astronaut, Aquanaut and country/western songwriter. This video is not from this weeks event, but I'm going to try to get a copy of that, too. I hope you enjoy it. |
Dave Clow Member Posts: 236 From: South Pasadena, CA 91030 Registered: Nov 2003
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posted 05-26-2012 11:31 AM
Magnificent, Kris. |