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  Roger B. Chaffee statue (Grand Rapids, MI)

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Author Topic:   Roger B. Chaffee statue (Grand Rapids, MI)
Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 05-16-2018 08:47 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A full-sized bronze statue of Apollo astronaut Roger B. Chaffee will be unveiled in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 19, 2018.
Chaffee's widow Martha and daughter Sheryl Lyn plan to attend the event, taking place at the corner of East Fulton Street and Sheldon Avenue NE, near the Grand Rapids Children's Museum.

The Michigan Military Preservation Society (MMPS), together with the Lowell American Legion Post #152, raised the funds for the statue. MMPS is a non-profit organization of veterans whose vision is to honor historical contributions made by West Michigan vets.

CMDR David L. Thompson, USN (Ret.) chaired the project, with MMPS board members Dan Pfeiffer and Bud Vierson. This group chose respected sculptor and Grand Rapids native J. Brett Grill to undertake the project.

"We conducted a nationwide search to find the absolute finest possible sculptor to handle this commission," said Thompson. "We wanted an artist who worked in bronze, and who could create a lifelike work of art. To our delight, we found Brett Grill, and we couldn't be more pleased with the final product."

"For a statue of this caliber, it was critically important to me that every detail is accurate," added Grill. "For a space suit that never flew on a mission, that meant doing some serious digging to learn some of the details needed to recreate Roger in his pressure suit and holding his helmet."

This accuracy can only add value to a statue that will reside on the NW corner of East Fulton Street and Sheldon Avenue in downtown Grand Rapids, near the entrance of the Grand Rapids Children's Museum.

Gordon Eliot Reade
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Posts: 35
From: Palo Alto, Calif.
Registered: Jun 2015

posted 05-16-2018 09:08 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Gordon Eliot Reade   Click Here to Email Gordon Eliot Reade     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I wish I could be there for the dedication. I feel that it isn't just Roger B. Chaffee who's being honored but everyone who worked on Apollo in any capacity at all.

Wehaveliftoff
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posted 05-19-2018 01:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Wehaveliftoff     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
WZZM TV 13 Grand Rapids, Michigan tribute video to the man and his bronze statue by its creators:

ManInSpace
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Posts: 114
From: Brooklin, Ontario Canada
Registered: Feb 2018

posted 05-19-2018 01:24 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ManInSpace     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Great post and link about Chaffee. Thank you.

Wehaveliftoff
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posted 05-19-2018 01:44 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Wehaveliftoff     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Here are photos of the statue from WOOD TV8's Evan Dean on Twitter.

Gordon Eliot Reade
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Posts: 35
From: Palo Alto, Calif.
Registered: Jun 2015

posted 05-19-2018 04:42 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Gordon Eliot Reade   Click Here to Email Gordon Eliot Reade     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Very nice. Now what does the inscription on the plaque say?

Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 05-19-2018 05:59 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The plaque reads:
Roger B. Chaffee
Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy
1935-1967
Grand Rapids Native — US Navy Aviator — NASA Astronaut

Roger Chaffee perished during a test of Apollo 1 on 27 January 1967 with crewmates Virgil "Gus" Grissom and Edward White II.

MLive.com has a video (below) photo gallery from the unveiling.

Gordon Eliot Reade
Member

Posts: 35
From: Palo Alto, Calif.
Registered: Jun 2015

posted 05-19-2018 09:53 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Gordon Eliot Reade   Click Here to Email Gordon Eliot Reade     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The statue itself is magnificent. It couldn’t be any more perfect. However I feel the inscription is incomplete. They should have added the words, "As a direct result of their sacrifice mankind successfully reached the moon on July 20th, 1969."

As it is it gives the false impression that his death was in vain.

Jurg Bolli
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Posts: 977
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 05-19-2018 11:47 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jurg Bolli   Click Here to Email Jurg Bolli     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Very nice.

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