Article courtesy of Stacie Snow:
On Feb. 20, Mrs. Snow & Mrs. Brenner’s third-grade students traveled to “space,” celebrating the 63rd Anniversary of America’s first astronaut to orbit Earth!
Mrs. Holland, our very own KL Rutherford teacher’s aide, has a unique personal connection with Astronaut John Glenn. In 1962, John Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth three times during the Mercury-Atlas 6 Mission, aboard the spacecraft he named Friendship 7. Mrs. Holland’s father, Al Whelan, worked for Maxson Electronics, where he met his beautiful wife and how he became good friends with the astronaut.
Maxson Electronics made target missiles, sonar and radar equipment for NASA and the United States Navy. Al helped make and install the dials and switches used inside the capsule, Friendship 7. After John Glenn successfully returned to Earth from space, he had tokens of appreciation made for all the people who helped him get to space and back safely. Mrs. Holland’s father was one of those people. John Glenn gave Mrs. Holland’s father and mother gifts. The astronaut presented her father with a tie clip and her mother with a charm bracelet. Both had a perfect miniature replica of the Friendship 7 capsule displayed on them. Mrs. Holland graciously allowed the children to take turns holding and wearing these historical family treasures.
