Volume 40, number 1
September 2018
Grand River Times The Newsletter of the Grand Rapids Historical Society Inside this issue: Cover Story: September program Letter from our President page 2 Baxter Award, Angela Yondo page 3 R.B. Chaffee Statue Unveiling page 3 Program Schedule 2018/2019 page 5 Happening in History page 6 Photo Sleuth page 7
Search: Grand Rapids Historical Society Next program: After the October program, the Grand Rapids Historical Society’s next program will be on October 11, 2018 at the Grand Rapids Public Library. Gina Bivins will be speaking about: Building the
Freeway: A Photo Find.
Grand River Times
“Roger That!”: The Life of Roger B. Chaffee, Michigan’s First Astronaut PRESENTED BY: Glen E. Swanson Thursday, September 13, 2018 at the Grand Rapids Public Library
From the earliest days of wireless communication, the Morse code letter R (dit-dah-dit) has been used to indicate 'O.K. -- understood.' So when advances in telecommunications eventually allowed voices to be heard, 'Roger' was the logical voice-phone equivalent. Variations of the word, including “Roger That” eventually came into use by pilots to mean ‘your message received and understood.’ Later it came into general use to mean ‘all right, OK.’ On the afternoon of January 27, 1967, the three prime crewmembers of the first crewed Apollo mission left the NASA transfer van that took them out to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. There, the fully suited men rode the elevator to the 218-foot level of the launch tower, where they crossed the access arm to climb into their spacecraft. Inside the Apollo capsule, rookie astronaut and Grand Rapids native, Roger Bruce Chaffee, the youngest of the three, sat to the far left of his two crewmates, Edward White and Virgil Grissom, both veterans of previous spaceflights. Continued on page 4 1
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY Dear GRHS Members, Welcome back to another year of programming. We start off in September with Glen Swanson informing us about the life of Roger B. Chaffee. I have felt a connection to him in several ways. Chaffee graduated from Central High School 15 years before my husband Fred. When the launch pad fire occurred in January of 1967 there was shock around the world. There was an added sorrow in The Grand River Times is the Grand Rapids because he was a hometown hero. The newsletter of the Grand Rapids “old airport” located at Madison and 32nd Street was made into an Historical Society, published six times annually. Established in 1894, industrial park and the main road was named for Chaffee. The Planetarium the Grand Rapids Historical Society at the Grand Rapids Public Museum was named in his honor. There is a is dedicated to exploring the history small, but informative exhibit about him outside the Planetarium. of West Michigan; to discover its I recently did some research in the Museum’s archives looking for romance and tragedy, its heroes objects that were representative of times in Chaffee’s life. A plaque on the and scoundrels, its leaders and its wall in the area of the Planetarium lists high school seniors who have ordinary citizens. The Society collects and preserves our heritage, received the Roger B. Chaffee Memorial Scholarship. The first recipient passing it on to new generations was appropriately a 1968 graduate of Central High School, Bernie Siebers. through books, lectures, and My husband recently re-connected with Siebers, who spent years working education projects. with super computers, at their 50th class reunion. Jacob Bourjaily received the award in 2002. I met Jacob in his capacity as an AV tech and a Executive Committee: planetarium presenter at the Museum. Today he works as a theoretical Gina Bivins, president physicist at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen. The Scholarship Matthew Daley, vice-president committee has done well in their selections honoring Chaffee. And finally, a John Gelderloos, treasurer constant reminder of Chaffee and the space program is the capsule on the Nan Schichtel, secretary Pearl Street lawn of the Museum. I look forward to learning more about Chaffee on September 13. Board members: Alan Bennett Charles Bocskey Thomas Dilley Matthew Ellis Chris Kaupa Gordon Olson, emeritus Wilhelm Seeger, emeritus Jeff Sytsma Julie Tabberer Jim Winslow Kurt Yost Jessica Riley, editor Grand Rapids Historical Society c/o Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library St. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Grand River Times
About the Grand Rapids Historical Society. The Grand Rapids Historical Society sponsors eight programs each year, beginning in September and running through May, including lectures, audio/video presentations, demonstrations, collections, or special tours. Membership. Membership is open to all interested persons with annual dues of $30 per family, $20 for seniors and students, or $400 for a lifetime membership. The membership year runs from May to the following May. Members of the Grand Rapids Historical Society receive eight newsletters each year and a subscription to our annual magazine, Grand River Valley History. Members also receive a 20% discount on books published by the society as well as books published by the Grand Rapids Historical Commission. Change of Address. If you will be permanently or temporarily moving to a new address, please notify GRHS before your change occurs. Let us know your new address and the date you plan to leave and plan to return. Email to grhs.local@gmail.com, or mail to Grand Rapids Historical Society, c/o Grand Rapids Public Library, 111 Library Street NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
2
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY CHAFFEE STATUE UNVEILED By: James R. Winslow
BAXTER AWARD WINNER— ANGELA YONDO The Grand Rapids Historical Society honored Angela Yondo with the Albert Baxter Award at the May banquet. Angela credits her family support with making it possible. Thank you Yondo family for all you have done to preserve St. Andrew’s Cemetery. More about their fine work can be read in the May issue of the Grand River Times.
GRAND RAPIDS — On Saturday, May 19, a seven-foot bronze statue of Apollo 1 fallen hero, Roger B. Chaffee was unveiled. Chaffee’s widow and daughter, along with Skylab and 3 time Space Shuttle Astronaut, Jack Lousma spoke at the event. Funds for the statue were raised by the Michigan Military Preservation Society, a veterans history group and the Lowell American Legion Post #152. The sculptor to capture the likeness of Chaffee was none other than J. Brett Grill, another Grand Rapids native. (Photo credit: James R. Winslow)
New Members: We would like to welcome the newest members of the Grand Rapids Historical Society:
James Bryant
Steven Horowitz
Antoinette Ross
Matthew Ellis
Kay Lillie
Julie Tabberer
Sue Forbes
Sonia McCarty
Pamela Vanderploeg
Joel Hondorp
Donald May
Elizabeth VanKlompenberg
Robyn Homan
James Rinck
Heather Yarbrough
Grand River Times
3
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY Continued from front page The day’s testing by NASA had not gone well. This was a “plugs out” test of the entire launch vehicle, the closest thing to an actual launch that technicians would experience without igniting the rocket’s engines. Throughout the afternoon, the crew reported unusual smells from the oxygen loop in their suits. Poor communications between the ground and spacecraft also plagued the test with Grissom, the mission commander, remarking, “How are we going to get to the moon if we can’t talk between three buildings?” There were no “Roger Thats” exchanged on the communications loop. Things were not all right. At around 6:31 p.m. a spark ignited in the lower equipment bay of the capsule beneath Grissom’s couch. Aided by the 100% pure oxygen environment, fire quickly formed in the fully pressurized spacecraft. The crew did not have a chance. As a nation mourned the loss of three heroes, NASA’s manned space program was put on hold as astronauts and engineers tried to figure out what had gone wrong. History comforts us in showing that the tragic loss of the crew of Apollo 1 did not go in vain as the fledgling young space agency learned from the mistakes of its past. Next year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the first lunar landing when the two-man crew of the Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle successfully touched down on the Sea of Tranquility. There, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. became the first two humans to set foot upon the surface of another world thereby fulfilling the dreams of countless visionaries while at the same time completing the goal first set forth by President John F. Kennedy of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth “before this decade is out.” Apollo is the story of the first twenty-four humans to leave their own world to journey to another and of the nearly half a million people who helped them get there. None of this would have been possible, however, without the sacrifice of Roger B. Chaffee and his fellow crewmates. Noted scholars of America’s space program argue that the changes resulting from the Apollo 1 tragedy saved the manned lunar program because it more than likely prevented an even more serious accident that might have either delayed the program beyond 1969 or terminated it entirely. About Glen E. Swanson: Glen E. Swanson has held a lifelong interest in the history of spaceflight. After working in education and the aerospace industry, he founded Quest, the world’s only scholarly journal dedicated to the history of spaceflight now in its 25th year of publication. Glen served as the chief historian of NASA’s Johnson Space Center where he managed their oral history program to help preserve the stories of the half a million people that worked in support of the Apollo program. His award-winning book, Before This Decade is Out: Personal Reflections on the Apollo Program, now entering its third printing, contains a selection of some of those oral histories. After leaving NASA, he returned to Grand Rapids where he served as a lab instructor in the physics department at Grand Valley State University. Glen is currently a graduate student at Western Michigan University pursuing a PhD in history. He lives in Grand Rapids with his wife Deana Weibel, an anthropologist teaching at GVSU, and their ten-year-old son. Grand River Times
4
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
2018—2019 Grand Rapids Historical Society Programs All programs are held at the Grand Rapids Public Library in the auditorium at 7:00 p.m. BUILDING THE FREEWAY: A PHOTO FIND October 11, 2018, 7:00 p.m. Presented by: Gina Bivins We will review photographic documentation of 966 slides that show the construction of the intersecting freeways that divide our city in four.
PATHS LESS TAKEN: GRAND RAPIDS WOMEN AND THE EGYPTIAN REVIVAL IN CEMETERY ARCHITECTURE November 8, 2018, 7:00 p.m. Presented by: Thomas Dilley Tom Dilley, will discuss why around 1900 the Egyptian Revival fashion took hold here and why three of our four examples of this exotic, brooding design were selected by women.
MACKINAC ISLAND’S HISTORIC COTTAGES OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS January 10, 2019, 7:00 p.m. Presented by: Tom Buettner The U.S. government created a national park on Mackinac Island, setting 1,000 acres of this federal property aside for a public park. Soon a cottage community was established by prominent and wealthy families from Michigan and the Midwest.
RIOT, RACE AND RECONCILIATION February 14, 2019, 7:00 p.m. Presented by: George Bayard George Bayard will discuss the origins and results of the uprising of Blacks during the summer of 1967. His documentary, Riot, Race and Reconciliation, will serve as a backdrop for the basis of the talk. Grand River Times
FAITH OF THE FATHERS—THE COURAGE, HUMOR AND DEDICATION OF CATHOLIC CIVIL WAR CHAPLAINS March 14, 2019, 7:00 p.m. Presented by: Rev. Robert J. Miller This presentation will highlight the 100+ Catholic priests who helped support the Civil War soldiers— their numbers, impact and some of the colorful “characters” among them.
FROM PIG FARM TO THRIVING NEIGHBORHOOD April 11, 2019, 7:00 p.m. Presented by: Fred Davison Come hear the story of the beginnings, development, and struggles of the Ottawa Hills Neighborhood; see the varied and beautiful architecture of the houses, meet the prominent citizens who have added to the city; and watch the evolution of the schools.
LESSER KNOWN GRAND RAPIDS LANDMARKS May 9, 2019, 7:00 p.m. Presented by: Michael Page Beginning with a brief discussion of the process used to designate a landmark or district, Michael Page will take us on a pictorial tour of some of the lesser known (yet significant) historic landmarks. He will give little known facts and why it is important to the history of Grand Rapids.
5
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
HAPPENING IN HISTORY: SEPTEMBER 2018 Western Michigan Genealogical Society Saturday, September 8, 2018, 1:30 p.m. Main Library- Ryerson Auditorium 111 Library St. NE
West Michigan Postcard Club Monday, September 10, 2018, 7:00 p.m. Faith United Methodist Church 2600 7th St. NW
Topic: Maps, Gazetteers and Directories
Topic: The Arnold Line to Mackinac Island
Presenter: Diana Barrett During the week of April 27 through May 4, 1918, twenty thousand Grand Rapids women, half the city’s female population, registered for the war effort. One thousand registrars were trained to conduct a twenty-to-thirtyminute interview with each woman. Her information was recorded on a 5 x 8 card, designed and printed in Washington DC and used nationally. Unlike the male WWI registration cards, those from the women’s nationwide registration are a data-rich resource. The men’s cards were saved; the women’s cards disappeared. Grand Rapids, however, had discovered a collection of 20,000 cards housed in the Library’s attic. Since that time, due to excellent research by genealogists and other interested researchers, many new sources of cards, and new information has been discovered beyond Grand Rapids and Michigan.
Presenter: Bob Campbell The Arnold Line boats brought people and freight to Mackinac Island from 1878 to 2015. The program will look at the history of the Arnold Line, as well as the attraction of Mackinac Island. Bob Campbell developed an interest in Great Lakes shipping as a young child. This resulted from sailing on the Straits of Mackinac ferries to visit relatives at Sault Ste. Marie, before the Mackinac Bridge was built. Bob's uncle, Jerry Campbell, worked forty years at the Soo Locks and often talked about boats. Bob started taking photos of Great Lakes ships in 1966. His pictures have appeared in Michigan History Magazine and other publications around the Great Lakes. His book Classic Ships of the Great Lakes came out in 2015. Grand Rapids Civil War Round Table Wednesday, September 19, 2018, 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. De Witt Student Center Kuyper College 3333 East Beltline NE Steven Soper will be presenting on The Old Third, Part Two.
Diana Barrett has been a member of the Grand Rapids Historical Commission since 2001, and from 2009-2011 served as its chair. Barrett also has been responsible for the Commission’s websites. For her work on the websites, and research regarding the Woman’s Committee WWI cards archived at the Grand Rapids Public Library, Barrett has earned the Albert Baxter Award for local history in Grand Rapids and a Historical Society of Michigan State Award in Communications. She is currently working on a book about former Grand Rapids Mayor George Welsh. Grand River Times
6
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY JOIN THE GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY OR GIVE A MEMBERSHIP AS A GIFT The Grand Rapids Historical Society sponsors eight lectures each year. Members of the society enjoy these benefits:
The Grand River Times is the newsletter of the Grand Rapids Historical Society. Published and mailed to members eight times a year, it includes current items of historical interest, details of upcoming lectures, historically relevant activities, and short articles.
The Grand River Valley History is the society’s annual magazine. Featured are illustrated articles by local history researchers and contributions from the Grand Rapids Public Museum, the City Archivist, the Grand Rapids Public Library, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.
20% Discount on all books and other items published by the society.
Please enroll me as a member of the Grand Rapids Historical Society: ____ New ___Renewal ____Gift _____Lifetime:
$400.00 one-time fee
_____Individual/Family Membership
$30.00 per year
_____Senior Citizen or Student
$20.00 per year
Name: Address: City/State/Zip:
Please make check payable to the Grand Rapids Historical Society and mail it with this form to: Grand Rapids Historical Society, c/o Grand Rapids Public Library, 111 Library Street NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC LIBRARY
PHOTO SLEUTH Our September Photo Sleuth selection comes from the Robinson Studio Collection's negatives. In this 1935 photo, a young and happy boy poses in a car apparently built for children. If this youngster or the faces in the background or the story of this event seem familiar, please email the Grand Rapids Public Library's Local History department at localhis@grpl.org.
Grand River Times
7
Non-Profit Org. U.S. postage PAID Grand Rapids, MI Permit No. 234
Grand Rapids Historical Society, Inc. c/o Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library St. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
“Roger That!”: The Life of Roger B. Chaffee, Michigan’s First Astronaut PRESENTED BY: Glen E. Swanson Thursday, September 13, 2018
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Cover Story: September program Letter from our President page 2 Baxter Award, Angela Yondo page 3
R.B. Chaffee Statue Unveiling page 3 Program Schedule 2018/2019 page 5 Happening in History page 6 Photo Sleuth page 7
For more information on Historical Society programs, please visit www.grhistory.org Grand River Times
8
