So on the night of the main meeting, mom and I arrived early. We found seats right up front and waited for the gym to fill with people. Then finally the moment arrived and Jim Irwin stepped out on the stage. I sat there and listened to his talk about his career, his faith, and going to the moon. At that moment, I had an eleven year olds confidence that I would grow up, go the Air Force Academy, be a fighter pilot, a test pilot, and ultimately an astronaut. After the service was over, mom and I looked for Dr. Bill and I nervously followed him to the room that Jim Irwin was using as a dressing room. I could barely speak to him but I did ask for his autograph which he gladly gave me.
Over the next few years, I got to meet Col. Irwin several more times and mom took me to Colorado twice on vacation. I even got to stay overnight at his house in Colorado Springs once. We joined High Flight, Col. Irwin's evangelical organization, and shared many wonderful times visiting with him, Dr. Bill, and Russ for several years after this. Through my association with Col. Irwin I also got to meet Al Worden, the Apollo 15 Command Module Pilot, and William Pogue, one of the Skylab astronauts.
As I said, I had decided that the only college for me was the Air Force Academy. So I began doing all the things that were supposed to get you into the academy. I tried sports, student organizations, and a little bit of everything. But I wasn't athletic, nor was I a group person at least for those groups. Most of my efforts were well a bit short of the mark I had set for myself. I am not bitter about that. A lot of childhood dreams fall by the wayside when we hit adulthood. But while I was still plugging away at it, one of the things I thought would give me a boost was Civil Air Patrol. I have an old 1960 edition of the World Book encyclopedia that is very well worn especially in those areas dealing with the military and space. One of those dog eared places is the entry on CAP. I wanted to join CAP but had no clue how to go about it or whether there was a "chapter" in our area. Once again, mom came through.....
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