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Author
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Topic: Was Deke Slayton missing a finger?
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FullThrottle
Member Posts: 93
From: Seattle, WA, USA
Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 03-19-2011 11:35 AM
   
I know its a weird question, but I'm too curious to not ask! I'm wondering if Deke Slayton was missing one of his fingers?When I was at the Space Park Walk of Fame in Titusville I was comparing my handprints with the Mercury astronauts at the memorial. Get around to Deke's imprints and there was only a half finger as one digit. I've looked at lots of pictures and couldn't really tell. I'm wondering HOW he may have lost his finger, not as someone slowing down to watch a carwreck, but because I've almost lost two of my fingers in two different cases and its something interesting to me. Hopefully the third time for me I'm not successful! |
alanh_7
Member Posts: 1252
From: Ajax, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 03-19-2011 11:53 AM
I think I read in his biography that Deke lost his finger when he was very young in a farming accident with a horse drawn mower. |
AJ
Member Posts: 511
From: Plattsburgh, NY, United States
Registered: Feb 2009
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posted 03-19-2011 01:43 PM
In a number of photos, you can see that Deke wears what appears to be his wedding ring on his pinkie, rather than on his ring finger. |
star51L
Member Posts: 340
From: Vilano Beach, FL, USA
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 03-19-2011 02:06 PM
I believe in this image you can see quite clearly he is indeed missing part of a finger on his left hand. |
Lou Chinal
Member Posts: 1306
From: Staten Island, NY
Registered: Jun 2007
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posted 03-19-2011 02:26 PM
Yes, he lost it when he was six years old on the farm where he grew up. It was his left ring finger.When he went to join the Army Air Force he was nearly disqualified because of it. But a careful check of the Army regulations stated that the ring finger could be missing. Remember it was World War 2 and they needed pilots bad. |
dom
Member Posts: 855
From:
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 03-19-2011 02:56 PM
I would have thought missing part of a finger would have caused him to fail the 1959 astronaut selection process. If the early space doctors were so picky about other things, why not this?(Cosmonaut Kolodin was missing half of his left thumb but he was selected much later in the 1960s) |
alanh_7
Member Posts: 1252
From: Ajax, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 03-19-2011 05:47 PM
I remember reading Deke say that he was self conscious of his missing finger for many years. It was not until he began flying that he realized that no one cared about it.
I always wished I had an opportunity to meet Deke. Is there anyone out there that met him have any feedback from their meetings as to what he was like. I hear he was a strait shooter but a hell of nice guy.
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Skylon
Member Posts: 274
From:
Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 03-19-2011 06:19 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Lou Chinal:
But a careful check of the Army regulations stated that the ring finger could be missing.
More specifically it had to be the ring finger on that hand you didn't write with, i.e. if you were right-handed, you could be missing your left ring finger; if you were left-handed, vice-versa.
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FFrench
Member Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 03-19-2011 07:09 PM
Here you go. |
MCroft04
Member Posts: 1634
From: Smithfield, Me, USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 03-19-2011 08:35 PM
I'm not sure but looking at that left handprint (right hand) I'm thinking Deke was sending a message to the doctors who denied him a Mercury flight! |
Delta7
Member Posts: 1505
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 03-19-2011 09:40 PM
I met Deke briefly in the 1980s when he with with SSI. I walked into the restaurant of the hotel I was staying at one morning and recognized Deke instantly. He was eating breakfast with a bunch of people. I mentioned who he was to my group, and one of them asked why I didn't go over and introduce myself. I explained that I didn't want to bother the man when he was eating, but my friend got up and walked over to Deke's table. Next thing I know Deke is waving me over (my friend told him I was a space nut and mentioned that he was one of my heroes). We shook hands and made our introductions and chatted for about a minute. Deke gave me his business card which I still have in a small frame. I don't think my feet touched the floor when I walked back to my table! A very warm and friendly personality, and a meeting I'll never forget!  |
spaceman1953
Member Posts: 953
From: South Bend, IN
Registered: Apr 2002
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posted 03-24-2011 04:56 PM
I, too, was one of us fortunate ones to meet Deke... he was at the first day ceremony at one of the big Chicago area shows several/many years back for the joint US-USSR stamps for space exploration, the block of four with all the spacecraft shown on it. He sat with a whole bunch of VIP's and signed first day program. When I got up to my turn I learn, I shook hands and said: "Do you mind if I call you Deke?" and he said, "ya, I'll answer to that!", got my program back, thanked him profusely, and like has been already observed, know my feet didn't touch the ground the rest of the day! I never met a "cranky" astronaut in person! |
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