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News & Photos
Alumni Remember the Astronauts
After The Baltimore Sun reported the story about NASA astronauts training in McDonogh's pool between 1964 and 1966, we asked alumni from the late 60s and early 70s for their recollections. Here's what they told us:
Wally Boston ’72: I was a seventh grade boarder in the fall of 1966. I remember the astronauts and their equipment in the pool. As a child of the Space Race and Cold War, I was fascinated by the technology. There was a mockup of the capsule and lines with tethers for the astronauts to maneuver in the pool. At all times, they were accompanied by scuba divers. I remember being allowed to watch them on more than one occasion. I'm guessing that because I was a boarder and some of the odd hours (outside of the school day) that they were using the pool, weren't so odd for someone who lived at the school, I was allowed to take a look more than once.
When I told my parents that we had astronauts in the McDonogh pool, I'm not so sure that they believed me until an article appeared in The Week, which they received at home.
One day, the equipment was gone and we were told that they were moving the training elsewhere. Obviously, the nation keyed on every launch in those days because we knew that each launch meant that we were closer to the goal of putting a man on the moon.
Mike Moser ’69: I remember watching Buzz Aldrin getting ready to go into the pool from the other end. We were herded out at that point and I wasn't one of the ones in the bleachers when Cernan spoke to them.
Last year I spoke to Buzz Aldrin and asked him if he remembered McDonogh.
He said, "Oh yeah, The McDonogh School. I remember that."
Not much, but it was a connection, anyway.
Craig Oliver ’70: Yes, I was one of those kids. And at age 57, I still am one of those kids. The space program has always had an endless fascination for me. I was 16 when Apollo 11 astronauts landed on the moon and probably 12 or 13 when Gemini astronauts were training in McDonogh's swimming pool. I remember learning they were trying to simulate weightlessness and I remember a mock-up of the Gemini spacecraft at the bottom of the pool and the astronauts practicing getting out of it for a spacewalk, but not much more.
...I remember having a sense of this being very important work, and that we had to be quiet and not disturb the people. I remember feeling it was a privilege to be allowed to watch.
John Thomas ’68: I have a very vivid memory of seeing the capsule at the bottom of the pool but I was not there when folks were working talking to the students. I remember … how exciting it was to be a part of the experience. Seeing the article is great also since over the years I have mentioned the use of the pool by the space program and friends always say, "No way!" Now I have some evidence that I was not dreaming.
John Steinberg, M.D. ’72: I remember seeing all the equipment in our pool. Now, when I tell folks that the Colts used to practice at McDonogh- I waited on them in Lamborn Hall- as a "second biddie"; when I add that NASA astronauts trained for work in weightless environments by using our pool, essentially no one believes me!
Nick VanSant ’68: I recall seeing the big Plexiglas structures on the deck around the pool. I did not get to see them in use, but was always fascinated by the gear and hoped to see some astronauts (the same way we got to see Johnny Unitas and Jim Mutschler on the fall training football field. I remember passing Bubba Smith in the tunnel under the stands. He blocked out all the light as he went by!)
Space was a big thing. In an era when the filmstrip was classroom technology, to have a TV wheeled in to watch launches was very exciting. I think it went a long way toward creating a shared reality for my generation.
I'm remembering that classmate Dennis McCarty brought to a Physics class the Black & Decker torqueless drill for us to see. His dad worked for B&D (my dad's company did their advertising) and it was like touching the space program. While every time has its character, the sixties were amazing for the highs and lows of American life, many of which penetrated our life on the hill.
George Getty ’69: I attended McDonogh from 1960 - 1969, and yes, I do remember seeing astronauts in the pool. I was not part of the group of middle school students the article talks about. I had a more "clandestine" encounter. You see, it was during my freshman (1964) or sophomore (1965) year. I was spending a few days in the infirmary with a case of the flu. Well, the night before I was to be discharged, I remember [nurse] Mrs. Grogg came into the ward in which I was the sole occupant, and said," George, do you want to see something special? Get dressed and meet me out front." Being the good little cadet that I was, I did exactly as she said; my mind racing with all kinds of ideas.
I remember she seemed very excited as she took my hand and led me down the hill to the Field House. Now my mind was REALLY racing. I thought, "What could she possibly have to show me in the Field House at 10 o'clock on a Sunday night?" When we got to the Field House, we went down the small concrete steps to the side entrance that led to the pool. We walked into the spectator's stands, and I froze. There in front of me in the pool were a space capsule, two astronauts, and several other men in scuba gear. It was shortly after I picked up my jaw from off the floor that Mrs. Grogg explained that the astronauts were here doing weightlessness training, and she thought I might like to see them. Was she ever right!
There were some other people in the stands besides the two of us, but I have no idea who they were because my eyes were glued to what was going on in the pool. I'll never forget that night, and I'll never forget the kindness and generosity of Mrs. Grogg to take the time to share an experience like that with a kid who was getting over the flu.
Ross McCausland ’72: Yes, I remember the astronauts using the pool at McDonogh. I never saw them. Rarely, we would see a person working around the equipment on the pool deck. As I recall, they installed a gantry from the roof framing that was used to lift the equipment out from the deck and lower it into the pool. There were at different times, Plexiglas mockups of equipment, which, I assume, simulated space capsules. I always thought it was interesting and was surprised to see the article in the paper, after so many years.
Michael Andrews ’69: I remember seeing astronauts in the pool. It was a wondrous experience. Like so many McDonogh moments -- the symphony in the field house, Johnny Unitas and the Colts working drills at the stadium, trips into town for Center Stage and so many others all had their effects on character and lasting impressions. McDonogh's legacy is moments like those for all of us.
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After The Baltimore Sun reported the story about NASA astronauts training in McDonogh's pool between 1964 and 1966, we asked alumni from the late 60s and early 70s for their recollections. Here's what they told us:
Wally Boston ’72: I was a seventh grade boarder in the fall of 1966. I remember the astronauts and their equipment in the pool. As a child of the Space Race and Cold War, I was fascinated by the technology. There was a mockup of the capsule and lines with tethers for the astronauts to maneuver in the pool. At all times, they were accompanied by scuba divers. I remember being allowed to watch them on more than one occasion. I'm guessing that because I was a boarder and some of the odd hours (outside of the school day) that they were using the pool, weren't so odd for someone who lived at the school, I was allowed to take a look more than once.
When I told my parents that we had astronauts in the McDonogh pool, I'm not so sure that they believed me until an article appeared in The Week, which they received at home.
One day, the equipment was gone and we were told that they were moving the training elsewhere. Obviously, the nation keyed on every launch in those days because we knew that each launch meant that we were closer to the goal of putting a man on the moon.
Mike Moser ’69: I remember watching Buzz Aldrin getting ready to go into the pool from the other end. We were herded out at that point and I wasn't one of the ones in the bleachers when Cernan spoke to them.
Last year I spoke to Buzz Aldrin and asked him if he remembered McDonogh. He said, "Oh yeah, The McDonogh School. I remember that." Not much, but it was a connection, anyway.
Craig Oliver ’70: Yes, I was one of those kids. And at age 57, I still am one of those kids. The space program has always had an endless fascination for me. I was 16 when Apollo 11 astronauts landed on the moon and probably 12 or 13 when Gemini astronauts were training in McDonogh's swimming pool. I remember learning they were trying to simulate weightlessness and I remember a mock-up of the Gemini spacecraft at the bottom of the pool and the astronauts practicing getting out of it for a spacewalk, but not much more.
...I remember having a sense of this being very important work, and that we had to be quiet and not disturb the people. I remember feeling it was a privilege to be allowed to watch.
John Thomas ’68: I have a very vivid memory of seeing the capsule at the bottom of the pool but I was not there when folks were working talking to the students. I remember … how exciting it was to be a part of the experience. Seeing the article is great also since over the years I have mentioned the use of the pool by the space program and friends always say, "No way!" Now I have some evidence that I was not dreaming.
John Steinberg, M.D. ’72: I remember seeing all the equipment in our pool. Now, when I tell folks that the Colts used to practice at McDonogh- I waited on them in Lamborn Hall- as a "second biddie"; when I add that NASA astronauts trained for work in weightless environments by using our pool, essentially no one believes me!
Nick VanSant ’68: I recall seeing the big Plexiglas structures on the deck around the pool. I did not get to see them in use, but was always fascinated by the gear and hoped to see some astronauts (the same way we got to see Johnny Unitas and Jim Mutschler on the fall training football field. I remember passing Bubba Smith in the tunnel under the stands. He blocked out all the light as he went by!)
Space was a big thing. In an era when the filmstrip was classroom technology, to have a TV wheeled in to watch launches was very exciting. I think it went a long way toward creating a shared reality for my generation.
I'm remembering that classmate Dennis McCarty brought to a Physics class the Black & Decker torqueless drill for us to see. His dad worked for B&D (my dad's company did their advertising) and it was like touching the space program. While every time has its character, the sixties were amazing for the highs and lows of American life, many of which penetrated our life on the hill.
George Getty ’69: I attended McDonogh from 1960 - 1969, and yes, I do remember seeing astronauts in the pool. I was not part of the group of middle school students the article talks about. I had a more "clandestine" encounter. You see, it was during my freshman (1964) or sophomore (1965) year. I was spending a few days in the infirmary with a case of the flu. Well, the night before I was to be discharged, I remember [nurse] Mrs. Grogg came into the ward in which I was the sole occupant, and said," George, do you want to see something special? Get dressed and meet me out front." Being the good little cadet that I was, I did exactly as she said; my mind racing with all kinds of ideas.
I remember she seemed very excited as she took my hand and led me down the hill to the Field House. Now my mind was REALLY racing. I thought, "What could she possibly have to show me in the Field House at 10 o'clock on a Sunday night?" When we got to the Field House, we went down the small concrete steps to the side entrance that led to the pool. We walked into the spectator's stands, and I froze. There in front of me in the pool were a space capsule, two astronauts, and several other men in scuba gear. It was shortly after I picked up my jaw from off the floor that Mrs. Grogg explained that the astronauts were here doing weightlessness training, and she thought I might like to see them. Was she ever right!
There were some other people in the stands besides the two of us, but I have no idea who they were because my eyes were glued to what was going on in the pool. I'll never forget that night, and I'll never forget the kindness and generosity of Mrs. Grogg to take the time to share an experience like that with a kid who was getting over the flu.
Ross McCausland ’72: Yes, I remember the astronauts using the pool at McDonogh. I never saw them. Rarely, we would see a person working around the equipment on the pool deck. As I recall, they installed a gantry from the roof framing that was used to lift the equipment out from the deck and lower it into the pool. There were at different times, Plexiglas mockups of equipment, which, I assume, simulated space capsules. I always thought it was interesting and was surprised to see the article in the paper, after so many years.
Michael Andrews ’69: I remember seeing astronauts in the pool. It was a wondrous experience. Like so many McDonogh moments -- the symphony in the field house, Johnny Unitas and the Colts working drills at the stadium, trips into town for Center Stage and so many others all had their effects on character and lasting impressions. McDonogh's legacy is moments like those for all of us.