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Mitchell, Indiana
“Went ridin’ around this little country town…”
--John Mellencamp, “Cherry Bomb,” The Lonesome Jubilee
No, I’m not making any
of this up. It all happened, as
though I were trying to create a vignette of life in Indiana on a summer day. –BC
On Friday morning, July 22, I returned from a conference
trip, got in a rental car at the airort, and headed south on Indiana Routes 67
and 37. It’s a really hot day:
just the day before, the temperature hit 100 in Indianapolis, the hottest since
August 1988 (about the time “Cherry Bomb” was on the Billboard charts). The corn is tall, but the ground is
dry, and the grass is getting brown and crunchy by the time I get to the county
line. I’m late to the luncheon at
the Girls’ Club, but I do manage some good conversation with some of the local
organizers and guests of honor.
Some good chicken, carrots, and green beans, too. The evening event is the Ball,
being held in the restaurant of the local state park inn down in the next town. Before I get to the state park, I spend
some time on the quiet main street of town. An Amish buggy is turning the corner as I park the car and
cross the street to look at some of the antique stores. One woman comes into the store as I am
browsing the postcards and porcelain, and asks if I’m here for the Ball…. Yes,
they’d heard I was coming, and they’re glad I’m here.
At the Ball, I’m seated at a delightful table. I’m next to one of the guests of honor,
and conversing with the one local mayor and his wife on my other side. The other local mayor is a bit distant,
until she is done with her obligation for the evening: singing the National
Anthem. After that, she relaxes
and chats amiably. I’m enjoying a
great dinner of pork chops, and baked apples, and a bit of beef, and cherry
cobbler, talking about civic responsibility and local roots. After dinner, the one local mayor gets
up, thanks people for coming, and introduces his “favorite band,” joking that
while his colleague may be the singing mayor, he can dance. The band checks the tuning, and then
starts in on… yes, John Mellencamp’s “Cherry Bomb”.
This all sounds like it could be anywhere in the Midwest,
but it’s not. It’s Indiana (I even
drove through Bloomington, where Mellencamp lives, on Route 37). But more importantly, it’s Lawrence
County, Indiana, home of three NASA astronauts: Ken Bowersox and Charlie Walker
of Bedford, and Gus Grissom of Mitchell.
We’re here to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Grissom’s
Liberty Bell 7 launch. The weekend
program includes discussions with McDonnell Corporation engineers who worked on
the Mercury program, remarks by Becky Skillman, the Lt. Governor of Indiana
(who is also from Bedford). The
guests of honor at the Liberty Bell 7 Ball? Gus Grissom’s brothers, sister, and other relatives (two
tables of Grissom family in all), and Charlie Walker.
Mayor and Mrs. Terrell dancing to the Summertime Band.
How does such a small place (county population, 2010 census:
46,134) generate such a legacy?
How does a Space Grant Director end up in such a place? I asked that very question of the
people I met. Mayor Girgis of
Bedford and Mayor Terrell of Mitchell spoke of the energy and enthusiasm that
the communities had put into the Liberty Bell 7 celebration. Astronaut Walker talked about launching
rockets with friends who thought it was cool, not stupid. Other residents talked about how Test Pilot
Grissom would return back to Mitchell, and do flyovers in one of his jets
during the annual Persimmon Festival. Lowell Grissom was gracious and friendly, and talked
about growing up in a town where it was okay to have bigger dreams than working
at the local bus manufacturing plant.
And how about the woman from the antique store? Her name is Susan, and she has a flight
jacket with mission patches and autographs. She, like many others in town, knew about “that professor
from Purdue, the one with the Space Grant,” and her welcome was warm and
enthusiastic. The experience, and
the pace, and the spirit of the town all affected her choice to move back to
Lawrence County after being in the Air Force.
In other words, these small towns could have been like any
other, but one of their favorite sons returned for visits, and the town
celebrated his accomplishments. The
towns try to move forward, but they don’t forget that they hold a special place
in history. They have an
obligation to honor their hero, and make sure others remember him, too. Could I
have created that level of enthusiasm, or an excitement and passion for the
outcomes of STEM education, in a place that wasn’t already eager to celebrate
their role in spaceflight history?
As an outsider, no. But as
a visitor and witness to their dreams and passions, I can tell you that
everything I could hope for in terms of public engagement of STEM is
there. In the yard next to Gus
Grissom’s boyhood home, there is a sweetgum tree grown from a seed that Charlie
Walker took into space.
Folks gathering under the Shuttle Sweetgum tree. The Grissom home (currently being
restored) is at the right of the photo.
Mayor Girgis and Astronaut Walker discuss the importance of
girls pursuing whatever career interests they want to follow. Last year, some folks in a couple of
little towns in Indiana decided to put together a program celebrating the
history of US spaceflight. They
brought together Mercury Program engineers, and a couple of astronauts, and put
it all together near the memorial that houses the Gemini spacecraft nicknamed
“Molly Brown”. Lt. Governor
Skillman responded personally to the invitation, and put it on her calendar
–because it’s her hometown, too. And
they’re not done yet. They’re
trying to create an Astronaut Hall of Fame. They’re restoring the Grissom home. And they want to know if the Indiana
Space Grant would be interested in helping with scholarships and activity
support and advice.
I had whispered to Charlie, “I envy you your hometown.” Correction. I admire his hometown, and what he and
Ken have been able to share with their town. I admire Susan, and Mayor Terrell and his assistant
Christina Lambton (who placed me with such wonderful dinner companions). I appreciate the efforts of the head of
the German-American Bank and the folks from the Hoosier Hills Credit Union, and
the Lawrence County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, and the Bedford Area
Chamber of Commerce, and the Department of Natural Resources (remember, the
Liberty 7 Ball and Grissom Memorial were at a state park!) and everyone
else. That experience was one of
the best reminders of how lucky I am to be able to work with and talk to such
people, and be part of the legacy of space flight in Indiana.
Indiana Route 37, at the entrance to Lawrence County: “Home
of Astronauts Grissom • Walker • Bowersox”
The band didn’t play it Friday night, but the next day as I
was driving home, guess what song came on the radio?
“I was born in a small town…
Educated in a small town…
Used to daydream in that small town,
Another born romantic that’s me.”
-- John Mellencamp, “Small Town,” Scarecrow
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