Crotty: A night with John Young and his wife
During the 2004 presidential campaign, I rode in one of President George W. Bush’s staff vans on our way to a speech he was making at the Orange County Convention Center. On our route to the center from Orlando International Airport, we passed John Young Parkway, prompting one of the staffers to ask, “Who is John Young?” I explained, “He was a hometown hero who grew up in Orlando and attended Orlando High School (now Howard Middle) in addition to being one of NASA’s most active and longest-serving astronauts.”
Little did I know then that I would have an opportunity to meet and become friends with Capt. Young and his wife, Susy. A year later he was the first recipient of the Orange County History Center’s “John Young History Maker Award” for his accomplishments as an astronaut and his commitment to safety.
When John Young learned about the award, he was asked if he would attend a community dinner on the night prior to the award ceremony. His legendary calm demeanor was on display when he responded that he and Susy would prefer having a private dinner with the mayor and his wife. Pam and I were excited to have dinner with a man who walked on the moon and flew in space on the Gemini missions, NASA’s Apollo program and the space shuttle Columbia.
Before our dinner meeting with the Youngs, I did some research on his career and looked forward to hearing details of his distinguished years as an astronaut as well as his work at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
One of the things I wanted to share with Young was my sponsorship of the Challenger license plate as a funding source to the Astronauts Foundation Monument at the Kennedy Space Center while I served in the state Legislature.
As dinner was coming to a conclusion, the conversation shifted to the remarkable changes that have taken place in Orlando since Capt. John Young grew up here.