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[Page S6444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING CHRISTA McAULIFFE
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate the life and
legacy of Christa McAuliffe.
Christa McAuliffe was born on September 2, 1948, in Boston, MA. She
grew up in suburban Massachusetts, and she studied American history and
education in college and graduate school. After some time teaching high
school in Maryland, she moved in 1978 with her family to New Hampshire,
where she started work as a teacher at Concord High School.
She was a passionate and dedicated teacher. She taught a variety of
subjects, including history, economics, and law. Her former students
describe her enthusiasm and her creativity in planning lessons and
activities for students. She even developed an original course, called
``The American Woman.''
One of her former students says, ``She was very exuberant in her
teaching and excited about what she was teaching. She was always
willing to help outside of the classroom if you needed it. I remember
her constantly, every day that I stayed late after school to make up
work that I'd missed for other classes. . . . checking in to see if
there was anything she could do to help me.''
Christa believed strongly in the importance of the teaching
profession and in working creatively to help students understand the
human side of historical events. When NASA launched its Teacher in
Space Program in 1984, Christa seized the opportunity and applied for
what she called the ``ultimate field trip.'' She wrote in her
application to NASA:
In developing my course, The American Woman, I have
discovered that much information about the social history of
the United States has been found in diaries, travel accounts
and personal letters. This social history of the common
people . . . gives my students an awareness of what the whole
society was doing at a particular time in history. They get
the complete story. Just as the pioneer travelers of the
Conestoga wagon days kept personal diaries, I, as a pioneer
space traveler, would do the same . . . My perceptions as a
non-astronaut would help complete and humanize the technology
of the Space Age. Future historians would use my eyewitness
accounts to help in their studies of the impact of the Space
Age on the general population.
Her application was chosen out of more than 11,000 applications
submitted by teachers from around the country.
Even during her busy NASA training schedule and newfound public
attention, she remained dedicated to her students back home in New
Hampshire. She flew all the way back from Houston, in the middle of
training, in order to be there for the first day of school at Concord
High. She even somehow found the time to write college recommendations
for her students on the day before the Challenger launch.
She planned to keep a journal and teach lessons from space. She
wanted to humanize space travel and make the experience accessible to
regular people. She said that she hoped her experience and the public
attention would inspire more people to become teachers.
Tragically, on January 28, 1986, the Challenger shuttle exploded just
73 seconds after launching, killing Christa as well as the rest of the
crew: Gregory Jarvis, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judy Resnik and
Dick Scobee.
Many people know that Christa's motto was ``I touch the future, I
teach,'' and that statement remains as true today as it ever was. More
than 30 years later, Christa McAuliffe continues to inspire new
generations of students and teachers. In fact, a number of Christa's
former students have gone on to become teachers themselves. One in
particular says she at times turns to the question ``What would Christa
do?'' for guidance.
Schools and science centers across the country are named for her. In
New Hampshire, we have the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, an air
and space museum and planetarium, as well as the Christa McAuliffe
School, an elementary school in Concord. There have even been an
asteroid and a crater on the moon named after her.
The Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act was signed into law by
the President on October 9. The enactment of this legislation means
that a commemorative coin in Christa's honor will be minted by the U.S.
Treasury in 2021. Proceeds from the sale of this coin will go to
support science, technology, engineering and math, STEM, education.
Christa McAuliffe demonstrated throughout her life how to make the
world a better place, not only through once-in-a-lifetime feats of
bravery but also through her everyday actions and interactions with
those around her. I hope we can all continue to look to her example for
inspiration and ask ourselves ``What would Christa do?''
____________________
