Boomer Connections This Boomer's Life

Remember When . . .

The 60’s were a tumultuous decade! There was the Vietnam War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the British Invasion, and the space age. Shows such as Lost in Space and Star Trek were popular on TV. It was cool to imagine you were a crew member of the USS Enterprise. Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock were trendy characters. This cult classic uncovered many “Trekkies” who still attend conventions today celebrating the popularity of the show.

During this time our own space program was evolving. The astronauts became household names, notably, Apollo 11 and our first landing on the moon. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, our heroes of the time! Where were you on July 20, 1969, during the Apollo Moon Landing? I remember sitting at home with my family watching this historical event on our small black and white TV as Neil Armstrong took his first step onto the surface. I was 13 years old at the time. My Dad commented that he would never have believed that he would be alive to see the first man on the moon! That first landing opened the doors to many possibilities.

A couple weeks before the moon landing, our family happened to be in Florida during the 4th of July week. We were on our family vacation then. We went to visit my grandmother who lived in Clearwater at the time, and to see Florida. We went to Cape Canaveral on that trip and had the privilege of seeing Apollo 11 on the launch pad, ready to go. We wanted to stay to watch the launch in person, but Dad had to get back to work. This is the picture my brother took of the launch pad that day. He was 12 years old. I remember driving near Cape Canaveral thinking how big that rocket ship was. I didn’t appreciate it then how fortunate we were to see such an important piece of history.