Who Said Wally
"Levity is the lubricant of a crunch. Nosotros resort to jokes, pranks and practiced natured kidding to relieve tension, stress and boredom." - Wally Schirra
A Final Tribute To Wally
Wally and I had simply recently started working on a new video projection.
The higher up was the first crude draft/prototype using photos from his near recent trip to MSFC.
Wally loved the thought and the music, and so we're just going to leave it every bit-is, as Wally first saw information technology.
Keep your anxiety dry, my good friend. Thank you for everything!
-tracy
When I received the phone call virtually Wally'southward passing in the early forenoon hours of May 3rd, I was nothing curt of stunned. I received the call nigh three hours before it hit the media. We were to have seen each other in June in Florida and plot out a revision of this spider web site. It's a meeting that will never happen. Growing up in the 1960's, i couldn't assistance but know of "Astronaut Wally Schirra". He was a household name. We watched his flights, as well as the others, with slap-up anticipation. I have brilliant memories of the launch of Apollo 7 in 1968 thinking that information technology took a lot of guts for those three guys to get into an Apollo spacecraft later on the terrible burn down of Apollo 1. At the same time, I knew how cool he had been during the aborted launch of Gemini 6 and, of course, he was an original Mercury astronaut. He was truly "the man".
I was introduced to Wally several years ago. During the introduction, naturally, Wally had to make a pun regarding my last name. I immediately fired back with a pun of my own. He countered, I fired back over again. He then said "You're adept! I like yous!" I told him that my late begetter was a similar punster and that I had years and years of practice. A real friendship was built-in that evening.
Wally and his wife, Jo, took my wife and me into their personal lives. It was always fun going to visit the Schirra dwelling house. Jo tin can be funnier than Wally and knew how to keep him in check. We went out to dinner or lunch or just gabbed at his kitchen table. At that place I was, sitting in the home of a boyhood hero. The Schirra's, who have been in the company of kings, queens and presidents, became personal friends.
Similar well-nigh men, Wally loved his "toys". I am a scale modeler and had congenital him a couple of models for his personal collection. I received a call from him one afternoon to tell me that the Mercury/Atlas model that I had congenital for him a couple of years before was the exact same scale of a model for the expansion of the San Diego Air and Infinite Museum, which he affectionately referred to as "Wally World". He then told me that they were using this model in their plans and wanted to know if information technology was alright with me if he donated the model to the museum for futurity display. I told him that I would be honored to have one of my models in a museum, simply had to add the kicker "and I get a per centum of the admissions for my donation, right?" Wally roared but couldn't resist firing back at me with "you gave the model to me and I'chiliad altruistic it, so the kickbacks are all mine!". A typical Wally response.
When my wife became ill with a concluding cancer diagnosis, Wally immediately told me that nosotros needed to get away and have some down time - and offered the use of his habitation in Kauai. When he assured me that this wasn't one of his archetype "gotchas", we were able to spend 10 wonderful days at ane of the most beautiful places on earth. He was extremely generous. After my wife's passing, he sent me a handwritten letter of condolence saying, in part, "that in that location is no solution to health issues if destiny wins". These words came back to me after hearing of his sudden passing.
I will miss Wally very much. I will miss his puns, his jokes, his express mirth, the unexpected telephone calls, the east-mails, drinking KJ with him at the bar, trying to grab him on a turtle joke - only, well-nigh of import, I volition miss the human himself. He was truly one of a kind.
Wally left me with i terminal "gotcha". Within minutes of the public announcement of his passing, the server that hosts this web site did a complete meltdown due to so many simultaneous hits. Wally could never truly figure out why people loved to visit this site - and this was his last laugh at my expense. Cheers, Wally. We had over a million hits to this site inside the first 36 hours. Think our "understanding" at a buck a hit. Where should I send my bill? Gotcha!
I wish yous polish sailing and fair winds, Captain. Rest assured we are all still hither to keep the dream and your memory alive.
With much love and admiration,
Your apprehensive WebSlave - Tracy
5 May 2007
The Schirra family has suggested that you may want to make a donation in Wally's name to one of the following organizations:
Wally Schirra Memorial Endowment Scholarship
The San Diego Chapter of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation is working to establish a $150,000 endowment to award annually a $7,500 Wally Schirra Memorial Endowment Scholarship to an American graduate science scholar.
Jo Schirra was a member of their chapter for a few years and Wally introduced 1 of their Scientists of the Year several years ago.
The ARCS Foundation and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Assistants) were both founded in 1958 in the aftermath of the launch of Sputnik. What meliorate way to gloat our fiftyth anniversaries than past honoring a truthful American hero and pioneer in infinite, Walter "Wally" M. Schirra, Jr.
Wally Schirra was ane of the original Mercury 7 astronauts (America'due south first try to put men in space). In 1962, he became the fifth American to wing in space, and was the only astronaut to wing in all of America's commencement three infinite programs (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo).
Afterward retiring from NASA and settling in San Diego, Wally was agile in civic endeavors, including the ARCS Foundation. In honor of this great astronaut and special friend of San Diego, the ARCS San Diego Chapter is proud to announce the establishment of the "Wally Schirra Memorial Endowment Scholarship." Please join united states in celebrating the life and career of this distinguished American by sending a gift of tribute to the Schirra endowed scholarship.
Donors will be endowing the futurity of science in America past investing in scholarships that will keep Wally'southward retentivity and achievements alive forever. Our goal of $150,000 volition generate earnings that will provide a $7,500 scholarship each year, in perpetuity, to fund science teaching at one of our recipient institutions.
Wally encouraged San Diego to stretch itself, to reach further, to envision the future, simply as the space program has done. We believe he would proudly endorse this fund to ensure the future of scientific discipline in America. Mrs. Schirra, a former member of the ARCS San Diego Affiliate, is pleased that the Chapter has established this memorial fund for him.
Each yr, the ARCS San Diego Affiliate will select an American graduate science scholar to receive this prestigious award. ARCS scholarships are given to the best and brightest graduate scholars who are United States citizens and full-time science students with a 3.vii GPA or greater, doing research in the fields of science, technology and medicine.
Special recognition will be given to the Wally Schirra Memorial Endowment Scholarship at the ARCS Scientist of the Twelvemonth Dinner Apr 18, 2008, in San Diego, as well as at the ARCS Foundation National Annual Meeting in Pasadena, June 2008. At that time, members of the fourteen chapters nationwide will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the ARCS Foundation and the impact it has made on the advancement of science in America.
A donation to the Schirra Endowment is a one-fourth dimension souvenir and entirely separate from our almanac scholarship fund efforts. If you would similar to be office of this special tribute to an American hero, please send your check, payable to ARCS Foundation, Inc., to:
ARCS Foundation, Inc./San Diego Chapter
P. O. Box 8394
Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067-8394
If yous would prefer to make a credit menu donation, please contact us at:
sandiego@arcsfoundation.org
Thanks for your support!
The Schirra family thanks you for your generosity and outpouring of affection towards Wally
NEW Book Alarm!
"Sigma vii: The Six Orbits of Walter M. Schirra, Jr."
by Colin Burgess
Colin Burgess offers a comprehensive nonetheless personal look at the 1962 orbital mission of Wally Schirra aboard the spacecraft Sigma 7, the first book almost this popular pioneering astronaut which explores his entire life and accomplishments. This continues the author's attempt to fully document the tape of Project Mercury's pioneering early phase of the Space Age.
Schirra�s pre-NASA life is examined, as well as his grooming as a NASA astronaut and for his Mercury MA-8 flight. The half dozen-orbit flying ofSigma 7 is fully covered from its origins through to the spacecraft�due south rubber recovery from the ocean after a highly successful Mercury mission. Schirra�s participation on the Gemini 6 and Apollo vii missions is too told, but in cursory, and the book likewise relates his mail service-NASA life and activities through to his passing in 2007. The Mercury Seven occupy a unique spot in the history of human spaceflight, and Schirra is at last given his due as one of the contributing astronauts in this painstakingly researched book.
Source: https://www.wallyschirra.com/
0 Response to "Who Said Wally"
Mag-post ng isang Komento