Francis Scott Key Lions Club, in conjunction with Downtown Frederick Partnership and Leader Dogs for the Blind, is hosting its second annual Canines on the Creek event, Saturday, July 3, 3 – 5 pm in the trellis area of Carroll Creek.
The event features a dog and owner patriotic-themed costume contest and parade, a dog training demonstration from Sit Means Sit of Frederick, speakers, giveaways, and discounts from exhibitors. Some of the dog-friendly exhibitors scheduled to attend are Sit Means Sit, Camp Bow Wow, Pet Smart, My Pet Store and More, Happy Dog Groomers, Green Canine, T and L Company, Viatoris Dog Training, Megan Purtell Photography and Frederick Friends of Our County Animal Shelter. Businesses serving dogs and their owners that wish to exhibit should contact FSK Lion Gary Bennett at 301-606-3012 or gabennet01@comcast.net.
Last year’s event was held on March 7 and featured a St. Patrick’s Day- themed costume context and parade. Due to Covid, this year’s event was moved to July 3 and will kick off the long Fourth of July weekend.
According to event chair Lion Gary Bennett, the highlight of the day’s activities is the costume contest and parade. “Watching the parade is free but if you wish to participate, we ask for a small donation to the nonprofit organization Leader Dogs for the Blind,” said Bennett. Dog owners can sign up at fsklions.org/canines. “The costume contest and parade are loads of fun. We judge the entries and have prizes for best owner and dog look-alikes, best small breed costume and best large breed costume.”
Along with the costume contest, parade and demonstrations, attendees will have the chance to speak to vendors that provide services to dogs and their owners and can take advantage of event discounts. The event will take place rain or shine.
“Frederick’s dog friendliness is well known and observed everyday downtown,” Bennett said. “And since Leader Dogs for the Blind is a key organization that Lions support, the idea for this event seemed to be a no-brainer. We hope it takes off in years to come and becomes a draw for Carroll Creek and downtown Frederick and at the same time helps support this worthwhile organization.”
Leader Dogs for the Blind raises and provides leader dogs for blind and low-sight individuals all over the world at no cost to the recipient helping them live a life of independence and mobility. FSK Lions Club serves the Frederick community through eyeglass donations, free used medical equipment lending, and sponsorships.
For more information on this event and to sign up to participate in the costume contest and parade, visit fsklions.org/canines.
If you agree with me that we could all use a little more courtesy in our lives, then we are indeed fortunate to have right in our midst a bridge that reminds us every day to be just that: courteous.
Frederick’s iconic “Courtesy Bridge” is the one-lane bridge situated on Shookstown Road just to the west of Rosemont Avenue, spanning an unassuming section of Carroll Creek just before it winds itself toward downtown Frederick and fame as the main attraction in Maryland’s second largest city. While many larger bridges are named after politicians or fallen service members, this humble bridge sports a sign at either end designating it the symbol of this noble human trait that may have seen better days.
One-lane bridges aren’t unique to Frederick County or any other country setting, for that matter. Frederick County has more than its share sprinkled throughout. What makes this one-lane bridge unique is its location. It is smack dab in the middle of Frederick city, connecting the city’s western “Golden Mile” area with Baker Park and its central business district. As you come upon the bridge, it appears to be in a rural section of Frederick, but nothing could be further from the truth. The bridge is just yards away from banks, restaurants, nursing homes, and an imposing Sheetz convenience store.
If you have traveled Shookstown Road, you know the bridge has a long history of people alternating the direction of travel; you go first, then the other side comes across. In this day and age, you might think this is a recipe for disaster. If it is, I haven’t seen it. I estimate I have traversed this bridge over 500 times in my 35 years in Frederick without incident, accident, or even undue delay.
And it’s not just me. According to city police, accidents and incidents at the bridge are exceedingly rare. There have been no documented accidents the last 10 years. It helps that the sight lines are very good. You can see opposing vehicles from over 1,000 feet away. The courtesy signs also help. But we citizens should take some credit, too. Frederick is mostly a polite, progressive city and we show that every day with how we conduct ourselves.
The bridge was built in 1911 when Frederick was a much smaller city and refurbished in 1988. As the city grew, however, engineers did not feel a burning need to enlarge the bridge. In the last few years, however, nearby road improvements have taken some of the traffic load away from the bridge. Still, the bridge successfully handles about 2,100 trips per day according to Frederick’s Street Maintenance Dept.
Things aren’t always courteous on the bridge, of course. Occasionally, manners do go missing. There have been sporadic reports of stare-downs in the middle of the bridge and, on at least one occasion, police were summoned to de-escalate a situation where neither car would budge from the bridge, causing a traffic backup that forced unlucky fellow motorists to have to back up and find another route to their destinations. Driver impairment played a part in this incident.
But consensus holds that these instances are the exception. Residents of the homes lining Shookstown Road near the bridge generally have good things to say. Ariah Holland, who is a frequent walker over the bridge since a sidewalk was added a few years back, appreciates friendly waves from passing motorists. David Maloney, who has lived in his home just yards from the bridge for over 40 years can recall no major problems because of the narrow passage but blames the few accidents he is aware of on speed. “It’s generally understood that you wait your turn although some people still fly if they see the bridge is open.” Phil Pople, who has lived in the area for 25 years, finds the bridge charming and quaint and can recall no serious issues. He does appreciate that recent improvements to nearby roads have decreased traffic on the bridge enough that it is now easy for him to turn into his driveway.
It’s true that we are in fact forced to be courteous at the bridge to some extent in order to minimize the risk of a head on collision. As I recently sat behind a short line of cars waiting to take my turn on the bridge, I got to thinking about forced courtesy. Certainly, it would be better if we could just be courteous on our own, but I suppose being forced to be courteous is better than nothing. So, Frederick, join me at the Courtesy Bridge for a moment of Zen and a friendly wave at your fellow motorists. And don’t forget to take advantage of this rare opportunity to be recognized for your courtesy.
I don’t have a death wish, but I’m always interested in new experiences so being a census taker or “enumerator” in Census Bureau parlance sounded interesting and appealed to my sense of civic duty. And sure, the $21 an hour plus mileage didn’t hurt either. 240,000 of my fellow U.S. citizens joined me as an enumerator in 2020, down by about half from 2010 due to COVID-19.
It is pretty tough work. Not only because of political roadblocks and the current health crisis, but because most people just don’t want to talk to someone knocking at their door. Often times I was sent far from Frederick to work in unfamiliar communities that didn’t have enough census takers. I worked in everything from the blazing hot sun to pouring rain. Census takers are pushed hard by the full-time supervisors, always encouraging us to work fast, “close” cases, and not take no for an answer.
Initially, the work started easy enough—leaving ‘notice of visit’ flyers to those not at home and talking to agreeable people who legitimately overlooked completing the census.
These Notices of Visists are surprisingly effective at getting people to do the census online.
Soon, though, the work became much harder. The remaining people were evasive and not so agreeable. Many claimed to have already done the census online. Census officials assured us this was not the case and encouraged us to keep pushing. I was never sure who to believe. I did push ahead and performed reasonably well, talking many people into doing the census ‘again’ with me because they obviously wanted their voice to be heard. After enumerating these hesitant folks, however, the work became almost impossible. The people left to count obviously didn’t want to be counted. Many were belligerent and threatening.
My most memorable difficult case consisted of residents of a ramshackle townhouse community in Poolesville. I should have known I was in trouble when I read the notes from a fellow enumerator’s previous visit to the address. “I think the people at this place might be crazy. When I knocked on the door, they knocked back even harder.” I was intrigued. No one had enumerated this house and I wanted to be the one who did!
I logged more than 500 miles as a census worker over 6 weeks.
I had an ace in the hole. Census enumerators were allowed to use “proxies” to enumerate hard to complete addresses. Proxies are nearby neighbors who have at least a little information about their neighbors and are willing to tell you what they know. Unfortunately, it was equally clear in the notes that nearby neighbors might not be so willing to comment on these people either. “I don’t want to get involved,” “I’ve never talked to those people,” “They are not very friendly,” read some of the additional notes.
Undeterred, I strode up to the house and knocked. No answer. I knocked again, but this time I could hear people talking behind the door. When I peeked in, a mom and two kids stared back. When I knocked and peeked in a third time they were hiding behind some curtains. As I began to step away to find a neighbor, the man of the house pulled into his parking space. “Get your ass off my property right now and don’t come back or I’ll remove you myself,” he threatened. I assured him I had every right to be on his property, that I was with the Census Bureau and just wanted to know how many people lived at his place. He repeated his threat again as he began to get out of his van. Discretion being the better part of valor, I began to depart. To my relief, he got back in his van and left. As he did, I made sure he saw me walk up to his next-door neighbor’s house. I hoped he knew that we would be talking about him. I finally did get the information I needed and closed the case.
This was my worst brush with a hostile citizen, but there were others nearly as worrisome. One person railed about the poor use of his tax money that kept sending people to his house when he told us over and over that he has done the survey already. Two people were upset that Trump wanted to deport them even though they were here legally. An older gentleman offered “I’ve never done the census in my life. Maryland has been gerrymandered to death. That’s why I’m moving.” One young fellow at a new development used his Ring doorbell to size me up and said “You people need to quit hounding us. Nobody cares about this crap.” And, as I left one proxy who provided info on his townhouse neighbor, I could see the neighbor running out of his home and berating the proxy for provided any information at all.
The census app was extremely intuitive and well done. It guided our conversations as we entered data and completed the census with citizens on the fly.
It wasn’t all bad, though. One nice older gentleman in Dickerson wanted to talk about how the census helped us during the Revolutionary War. One fellow came running out of his house to give me a bottle of water. One little girl did the same with a popsicle at the behest of her dad. One scantily clad woman answered the door and made no effort to cover up. We didn’t cover that in training.
I am not sure why so many people were upset about completing the census, but I suspect it didn’t help that the president chose to make the census political and that a public health crisis was raging at the time. Completing a decennial census is in the Constitution.
Even so, the presidential attacks came in waves. First, Trump directed his Commerce secretary to add a citizenship question to the survey after months of planning and testing and just before the instrument was to be rolled out. That ploy lost in the courts. Next, he directed other federal agencies to share data with the Census Bureau so that “no undocumented aliens would be counted.” This was despite the fact the Constitution calls for the counting of every person residing in the country regardless of legal status. This one lost in the courts, too. And finally, he required the Census Bureau to finish field operations by September 30. This was after his own Commerce Department requested a three-month extension to December 31 in order to accommodate complications caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The House even passed a bill mandating the three-month extension, but it died in the Senate as most things do now. Again, the courts had to come to the rescue. A federal judge recently issued a restraining order halting the winding down of operations in September and resetting it to October 31. Census enumerators were finally directed to cease work on October 5.
I was never really worried about COVID-19, but perhaps I should have been. All enumerators were issued masks and required to wear them. But it did not occur to many of my interviewees to don them while standing face-to-face at close quarters with a stranger for ten minutes. I can’t say that I blame them. After all, they were responding spur of the moment from their own homes. As I write this, I have been a former census enumerator for over two weeks and feel fine. I might be lucky. I worked for the Census Bureau for about six weeks and had over 500 brief contacts and about 250 full interviews with strangers. I was very appreciative to those few who did wear a mask but could never bring myself to ask them to go get one. Respondents, however, were not shy about citing COVID-19 to keep me away. That excuse was used 20 times with me.
Despite a late start because of COVID and political interference, most parts of America are doing well. As of late August, about 65 percent of households had self-reported. An additional 30 percent have been enumerated by personal interviews from folks like me. The remaining five percent will be completed by the very best census enumerators, full-time census employees, and data from publicly available sources. By the time you read this, America will be very near to 100 percent complete.
Maryland is well above average among U.S. states, and Frederick County is in the top tier of reporting counties in Maryland. The latest data show Maryland at number 10 of the 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico in self reporting at 70.3 percent. Minnesota leads the way at 75 percent. Portions of the south including Arkansas, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, and West Virginia bring up the rear, averaging between 55 and 60 percent. Average education levels within states mirror census response. A spokesperson for the Census Bureau cites lack of knowledge about the importance and safety of the census for people not responding. As of September 15, 98.1 percent of residences in Fredrick County have been completed, placing us among the top five Maryland counties.
Our conspicuous census bags helped to identify us as we stood on porches.
Empty stadium for a Major Leage Soccer match, summer 2020.
An amazing thing has happened to me and I suspect many others. I’ve found that I just don’t need to watch all these games on TV anymore. I don’t miss live sports! Not Major League Baseball, not the NBA, not pro hockey, and I suspect not the NFL when the time arrives.
I never thought I would say that. Growing up I couldn’t get enough of the Baltimore Orioles. I vividly remember sneaking out to my dad’s truck at a very young age in an attempt to pick up the evening’s Orioles game on the radio. Some of my fondest memories are listening to games all alone in that old, dark truck and reporting the score back to my dad.
And it wasn’t just baseball. Growing up and well into my adult life, pro football games became appointment viewing. Not because I was a big fan of any one team, but because there seemed to be nothing more American than watching and talking about football and the undeniable fact that it is exciting – the ultimate reality show, full of action, energy, feuds, and sometimes violence.
Golf, tennis, auto racing, and soccer? I’m not sure these can even be considered sports. OK, I’ll give you soccer. But if most games end up 0-0, is it really much more than just some intense exercise? As for basketball and hockey, I can take them or leave them, but if nothing else is on, especially relatively late at night, I am drawn to them as a nice mindless way to end the day.
But no more.
Since major league sports have been on hiatus and off the air since covid-19 took over our daily lives, I’ve found that I can live without them. Sure, if they come back later this summer, I’ll watch some, but I don’t have to. There’s a big difference.
Just think of all the hours Americans could put to better use if fewer sports were on the air. When the time is right, we can even play team sports ourselves if we wish. In Frederick County there are softball, basketball, flag football, and soccer leagues for kids and adults of all ages. And just think how much healthier we would all be if we used this newfound time to simply exercise more and stay away from the mindless snacking that comes with watching sports. I‘ve done a lot more walking, biking, and hiking recently as I suspect have most Americans. Americans used to be doers, not watchers. I’m not sure where we went wrong.
What about professional athletes, you say? Don’t they have the right to pursue their dreams. Well sure, but do we need to pay them such ungodly sums of money? I understand they are entertainers and they are getting what the market will bear, but what does this say about us as a society. And what about the owners? Aren’t they entrepreneurs that help make American great? No and no! Most made their billions before owning a major league sports team. Their team is a very expensive toy to them. By now we all realize, if we didn’t before, that the real heroes are doctors, nurses, teachers, first responders, store clerks and other essential personnel. We agree they all deserve much more pay than they receive now. But how can we ever hope to get to a more equitable arrangement?
One way would be – I don’t know exactly how without being considered unamerican or (gasp) a socialist – to somehow limit the apex of the sports profession to the semi-pro level. This is not uncharted territory. A case can be made that American professional sports were semi-pro up until the advent of huge TV rights agreements in the 1980’s. I can remember my heroes of the 60’s and 70’s needing off-season jobs to make ends meet. This is as it should be since these adults are playing children’s games for much of the year.
The editorial board of this paper and at least one local columnist have waxed poetic about the return of the Frederick Keys. That is fine, but what if the Keys players, who are not paid much more than minimum wage anyway, were shooting to make it to the top of their profession in Triple A baseball rather than the major leagues, which would no longer exist? Would that limit their dreams? Not in the least. Only about one percent of minor league players ever reach the major leagues anyway. At Triple A they would be paid a handsome salary in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, the same level as other professionals who reach the top of their industry, but not the millions and millions of dollars that is so obscene and counterproductive for a healthy society. Billions of dollars could now be available for the real heroes if a redistribution plan using tax credits can be worked out. Beer companies could sponsor nursing homes instead of ball clubs. Obscenely rich Americans could buy and run a hospital. You get the picture.
And don’t forget about the added benefit that would accrue to colleges. Doing away with major league sports would encourage the return of the true student-athlete. Once again, players would be playing for the glory of their school and to get a college education and not so much for that big payday. And who among us would not like to see the big football and basketball mills with their obscene budgets, administrators, and hangers-on brought down a notch?
Stadium workers and team administrators at the major league levels and even sports writers will have to find other jobs, but that may be a price we have to pay to recalibrate our society. Already, stadium workers are seeing the writing on the wall as fans are prevented from attending games this summer. And as unlikely as this may seem, very few major league pro ball players, most of whom are coddled and receive more pay than they can ever hope to spend in a lifetime, have even bothered to donate any part of their exorbitant salaries to offset losses by stadium workers and staff. Instead they are quibbling with the billionaires about how to carve up their shrinking revenue pies. These people are not heroes.
The current pandemic conditions have pulled back the curtain on this unseemly business once and for all. Whiny millionaire players and greedy billionaire owners don’t deserve our support. Nearly empty stadiums may continue well into the future but less TV revenue due to declining ad revenue due to declining viewership holds the key to getting sports right-sized once and for all. What to watch instead? May I suggest the History, National Geographic, and Discovery channels. They feature entertaining programming that helps us examine the human condition in ways sports can never do. Why, just recently I completed a six-hour miniseries on President Grant on the History Channel that was more than peanut-worthy.
The following ditty is sung to the tune of Steve Martin’s 1977 smash hit King Tut. Our favorite president is in the starring role, of course. Apologies to Mr. Martin, one of my all-time favorites. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYbavuReVF4
King Trump
Now when he ran for pres’dent, He never thought he’d win Just an infomercial To get jobs for all his kin. (King Trump) How’d you get so lazy? (Funky Trump) Your grammar sure is crazy. Born in New York City, Isn’t it a pity. (King Trump).
(King Trump) Now, if I’d known That I could not be King, (King Trump) I’d taken all my money And bought my Vlad a ring. (King Trump)
Never read the Constitution (Funky Trump) Have no fear of retribution! Born in New York City, People say I’m not so witty (King Trump)
(Trump, Trump) Bullshit by the pile, (Disco Trump, Trump) Bill Barr sure loves his style, (Boss Trump, Trump) Colludin’ all the while (Rockin’ Trump, Trump) His fans shout “Trump Sieg Heil!”
He gave his life for racism! Orangish tint! Knows 75 words!
Now, when I vote Please don’t think that I’m a chump, (King Trump) I’d rather chew my arm off, Then to side with ole king Trump. (King Trump)
He should’a won an Emmy, (King Trump) I’ll sign the checks, please lem’me, (King Trump) Movin’ to Miami; shootin’ Lysol in my fanny.
He was born a rich tycoon-a, nasty questions clear the room-a, (King Trump)
In August, 2019 when Frederick nonprofit Federated Charities announced their intention of shuttering their free used medical equipment program (Local Lions Clubs fill void, July 11, 2019), Francis Scott Key Lions Club knew they had to help.
“With a motto of ‘we serve’, there was never a
question of our club not stepping up and helping out,” said Gary Bennett, an
FSK Lions Club member who took notice of Federated Charities announcement in
the News-Post and took it upon himself to make something happen. “This is a
needed program that just had to continue in some shape or form.”
As the July 11 news article reported, several other
Lions Clubs in the county and surrounding area also provide free medical
equipment to all who ask, but none of the three clubs serving the greater
Frederick area had participated to this point.
“The need is there,” according to Gary’s wife Ellen
Bennett, who is a retired hospice and long-term care nurse and fellow Lion. “Many
folks in our community just can’t afford the medical equipment they need, and
they fall through the cracks because their health insurance won’t cover this
needed equipment. We’ll lend it for free.”
Ellen Bennett will serve as volunteer program manager for the FSK Lions program.
“We will serve as a conduit for those with medical
equipment to share to get it into the hands of those who need it. It’s really not much different from a lending
library,” said Ellen. We will ensure that all equipment is clean, disinfected,
and in good working order when it is picked up.
The FSK used medical equipment program will provide
wheelchairs, knee scooters, walkers, rollators, bedside commodes, shower
chairs, crutches and canes. Those with equipment no longer needed can contact
the Bennetts through the regional Lions Clubs website at https://mdlions22w.org/. Just find the tab “Medical Equipment” and then
FSK Lions Club. Citizens needing equipment can use the same web address to get
help.
Other Lions Clubs serving the immediate area with used
medical equipment include Boonsboro, Funkstown, Hagerstown,
Libertytown/Unionville, Mount Airy, New Windsor, Smithsburg, Taneytown, Union
Bridge, Williamsport, and more.
Potential clients are encouraged to contact the Lions Club closest to
them.
For the time being, the FSK program will operate out
of Gary and Ellen Bennett’s garage in the Ballenger Creek area. “Trying to find
an appropriate and permanent home for such a needed program is more difficult
that you might imagine,” according to Gary.
“I’ve contacted numerous storage facilities and other likely targets
such as other nonprofits to no avail,” said Gary. “I know the Frederick community wants to help
so if any of your readers know of a facility or can provide one of their own,
we would like to hear about it. We need about 300 square feet. We don’t mind
giving up our garage for such a worthy cause, but it’s not a good long-term
solution for us or the Lions.”
Indeed, finding an appropriate storage facility for
the medical equipment is what has caused many Lions Clubs, including the
Frederick and Yellow Springs clubs, to not participate. “Lions Clubs serving
smaller communities that tend to have their own buildings are more able to
provide a service like this,” said FSK Lions Club president Duane Voitel. “We
are proud of the Bennetts for stepping up but we need the community to also help
us. We don’t mind putting in the volunteer hours to coordinate something like
this, but we just don’t have the funds or land to sit our own storage facility
on. We’d certainly like to have something more centrally located in downtown
Frederick so we can best serve the folks who need it the most. The
International Lions Club does provide its own insurance.”
According to Gary Bennett, anyone needing equipment can
contact them through the FSK Lions club and have it the next day. Recipients are expected to pick up the
equipment themselves, but in certain situations, the Lions can help with that,
too. Recipients can use the equipment
for as long as they need but are expected to eventually return it so the Lions
can lend it again.
“Elin Ross with Federated Charities has been
invaluable in helping us set up this program,” said Gary. “They’ve provided valuable consultation and
advice and a waiver document that we are using. We’d also like to thank Jim
Ensor with the Libertytown/Unionville Lions Club and Dennis Ahalt with the
Mount Airy Lions Club for helping us build our inventory and Frederick’s Senior
Services Division and Frederick Health Hospice who are helping to spread the
word about this program.”
Recently celebrating in 60th anniversary,
Francis Scott Key Lions Club has been serving the Frederick Community since
1959. They support a number of local, national and international charities and
service projects including vision screenings for children in Head Start,
daycare, private and afterschool programs, providing Leader Dogs to blind and
low-sight individuals, and providing eyeglasses to those in need. They are part of Lions Clubs International,
the world’s largest service club organization with over 1.45 million members in
over 200 countries. If interested in joining FSK Lions Club, contact info@fsklions.org,
www.fsklions.org, (240) 626-1511 or attend one of our biweekly
meetings the second or fourth Tuesday of each month at Capital Crave and
Frederick VFW on the Golden Mile. Dinner is at 6:00 pm and meeting at 6:30 pm.
As we mark the first trip to the moon 50 years ago on July 20, it is impossible to overstate how exciting this was to a war-torn and rioting country in the summer of 1969. Of course, not everyone was caught up in the excitement, but most were. Many Americans, especially those involved in the civil rights movement, rightfully pointed out the enormous cost they say could have been better spent right here on American soil combating poverty and any number of other social ills.
As a young boy, I was mostly oblivious to America’s
troubles but there was no mistaking the real-life heroes we saw almost every
month in 1968 and 1969 climbing atop the enormous rockets for their latest
adventure. The Saturn V rockets that lifted the astronauts off the earth may
have been enormous but commentators enjoyed telling us these men were traveling
nearly 500,000 miles round-trip to the moon in darkness in a vehicle the size
of a large Buick. The courage needed to do this was and still is breathtaking. All
this played out right in front of us on TV – small black and white TVs with
only a few channels – but TV nonetheless. For those of you not yet alive in
1969, trust me, you just had to be there.
In the late 1950s it was clear we eventually would
have to go to the moon. The arms race with the Soviet Union and the fear of
total annihilation was very real. The Soviets were developing larger and
stronger rockets that could easily carry a nuclear warhead to the heart of
America. When the Soviet Union’s first satellite called Sputnik launched in
1957 without any warning, Americans were shocked and afraid. NASA was founded shortly
thereafter in 1958. To keep the Soviets from weaponizing the moon, President
Kennedy, in 1962, set us on course to “go to the moon in this decade and do the
other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” Wishing to survive and get ahead of the
Soviets, most of the country was with him.
The Mercury and Gemini missions carried on almost
uneventfully throughout the early and mid-60’s but then came the tragedy of
Apollo 1 in early 1967. The deaths of three astronauts in a fire in their
capsule during a training session saddened the nation to its core and almost
ended our quest for the moon. But Soviet danger persisted and quitting the moon
was never really an option. After pausing for almost a year to figure out what
went wrong, the Apollo missions began anew with a vengeance in late 1967. In unbelievably
rapid succession, nine successful Apollo flights – five unmanned and four
manned — were conducted over 18 months including Apollo 8, which took humans
out of earth orbit for the first time. It is not possible for me to forget
Frank Borman’s stirring reading of the book of Genesis on Christmas Eve 1968 as
he and his crew circled the moon. The photo of the blue earth rising over the
stark landscape of the moon was jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring. Most of us felt
very small and insignificant when we saw that photo.
The three men selected for the historic Apollo 11 mission
were all veteran astronauts, each having flown one Gemini mission, but could
not have been more different in temperament.
Neil Armstrong, as mission commander, was a shy
introvert, economic with words, not prone to suffering fools, and as cool under
fire as any human could be. He is credited with saving Gemini 8 through his
skill, calmness, and preparedness when his craft went into a violent, unexplained
end-over-end roll in 1966. The fact that he was a civilian played a large role
in him being named commander of Apollo 11. Unlike the Soviets, America wished
to signal that they came to the moon in peace and not for military adventure. Armstrong
died in 2012 at age 82.
Buzz Aldrin, the lunar module pilot, was arguably the
smartest of NASA’s astronauts. In addition to flying sixty-six combat missions
over Korea, Aldrin has a PhD in physics and astronautics from Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, specializing in manned orbital rendezvous. More
loquacious than Armstrong, Aldrin has gone on to be perhaps the nation’s
leading global space statesman and a media darling. Also not one to suffer
fools, in retirement he famously punched out a critic who maintained the moon
landing was faked. Aldrin is currently 89 years old and still speaking out.
Michael Collins, the command module pilot, is good-humored,
thoughtful, lighthearted and loquacious. Of the three, he is the clear
extrovert and prime suspect behind any pranks or horseplay. These lighter
traits mask a smart and driven man who served in Europe after World War II, was
a decorated test pilot, and an expert in pressurized space suits and extra
vehicular activity or spacewalks. It also didn’t hurt that Neil Armstrong liked
him immensely. As the command module pilot, Collins circled the moon while his
compatriots on the lunar surface got all the glory. He didn’t mind, though. He
famously said that he was happy to be along for the ride. Was there anyone ever
more alone than Michael Collins as he orbited the moon 240,000 miles from home
in the darkness of space? Collins is currently 88 years old and in good health.
Apollo 11 departed for the moon on July 16, 1969.
Leaving earth orbit and heading for the moon was not news anymore. NASA had
successfully done it three previous times with Apollos 8, 9, and 10. But the
descent to the moon’s surface was another story. Hidden from most Americans was
the fact that we almost didn’t make it. Along with radio problems that made
communications with the craft difficult, the astronauts found themselves about
three miles off-target. Hovering over boulders and craters, the astronauts disconnected
from the computers that wanted to land there as scheduled and flew the craft manually.
The extra maneuvering caused fuel supplies to dwindle to almost nothing. The
world had little clue that this epic success was almost an unbearable tragedy. But
somehow, some way, we soon heard Armstrong coolly mention over a crackled
transmission “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” And almost
unbelievably, for the first time, there was a banner at the bottom of our TV screen
we never thought we would see – “Live from the surface of the moon.” The rest, as they say, is history.
Someday, maybe even right now, many people will see
this foray to the moon as quaint and even worthless. I can assure you this was
not the case at the time and is not the case now. Whether right or wrong, the
very existence of America was thought to be at stake. And, it’s important to
remember that we didn’t come back empty handed from the moon, and I’m not
talking just about rocks and soil samples. The technological advances needed to
pull off this enormous endeavor led to things like microwave ovens, compact
cameras, stronger fabrics for clothing, protective coatings for our vehicles,
improvements to firefighter suits, intruder detection systems, solar panels,
seismologic advances, heart monitors and pacemaker systems, and quartz crystals
used in clocks for precise timekeeping. This list can figuratively go to the
moon and back. One can argue that these items would have come along anyway but
assuredly not with the speed and rigor caused by the space missions.
So, what’s next? The Trump Administration has recently
announced plans for an orbiting lunar station, which is supposed to begin
construction is 2020. Whether this actually happens or not is anyone’s guess. George
W. Bush pitched something similar in 2004. New rockets from private companies
like Blue Origin and SpaceX are in the works. Other nations like China are
pursuing their own space agenda. It is not technology that keeps us out of deep
space; it is the cost and political will. It may take a national emergency – like
a warming planet that can no longer support its entire population – to get us
moving again like the national emergency of Soviet menace and adventurism in
1957.
But until then please join me in celebrating this
enduring achievement of mankind. The airwaves and book stores are currently
packed with information on Apollo 11 and the mission to land on the moon. I’ve
watched and read most of them.
I can recommend these TV specials: Apollo: Back to the Moon (National
Geographic channel), Apollo’s Moon Shot:
Rocket Fever (Smithsonian channel), Chasing
the Moon (PBS), Apollo’s Daring
Mission (PBS). Some of these have
aired already but DVDs exist for most. Last but certainly not least, you can
experience the moon landing in real time like I did in 1969 on July 20 with Moon Landing Live on BBC America. Check
your TV listings.
I can recommend these books: First on the Moon by Rod Pyle, First
Man by James R. Hansen, Shoot for the
Moon by James Donovan, Apollo 11
by Ian Passingham, and Magnificent
Desolation by the man himself, Buzz Aldrin.
