In the 70s, I had a truly amazing experience.
After my father passed away when I was 13, my living arrangements changed constantly, once my stepmother gave-up any pretenses about wanting me in the house. The second place I lived in, was in Downey, California. Soon after arriving there I'd felt overwhelmed by things, and decided to 'take the day off' from school.
I was tooling around on my bike, and came to a huge, industrial type complex of buildings, behind barbed wire fences, called North American Rockwell, Space Division.
I was totally into science, and the space program. So, I did what any 14 year-old kid (I think that's how old I was at the time) would do, and walked up to their front door, and rang the bell.
Somebody came to answer -- for the life of me, I can't remember who -- and naturally, he asked me what I wanted. I asked if I could 'look around.'
Now, here comes the 'amazing' part. Instead of telling me to 'am-scray,' or to beat-feet, he said: "Wait here a moment." I did, and eventually a man in a suit opened the door, and introduced himself. His name was Joe Queen, and I'm pretty sure he said (it was a long time ago, folks) that he was the Public Relations Director. He shepherded me in, and began to show me around.
It was the most amazing place! I know there were many space-travel related artifacts there, but what I remember the most vividly was the full size mock-up of the space shuttle, which hadn't been built yet.
This 'personal tour' was great! I thought nothing could top it -- until something did. Mr. Queen told me that a (then) popular TV show was being filmed there, and did I want to take a look at that? Did I!
What show was this? Well, I can tell you that the main character, in the show's storyline, needed a lot of health-care, and a lot of reconstructive surgery. Oh, and the surgery was said to cost a pretty penny: somewhere in the neighborhood of $6,000,000.
He took me to a room that had one of the early space capsules in it, and introduced me to that episode's costar, who happened to be the star of the show's real-life wife. She was known for her gorgeous blond hair, and for being an 'Angel.' And then, Mr. Queen said he'd come back for me, later.
Myself and this lovely lady talked as if we were just two ordinary people (though only I was guilty of carrying that designation). She was wearing a spacesuit, and we talked about that. She even let me feel the material in the sleeve. We talked about the space program, and about what it's like to be on TV. She was warm and friendly, and talked to me as if I mattered. I remember her inviting me to look through the window of the space capsule, and the cameraman being miffed that the back of my head had touched his camera lens.
Eventually, Mr. Queen came and collected me. Next, he took me to see the 'hubby.' He introduced me, and Hubby looked at him incredulously, his expression saying: "What the hell is this?" I said something to Mr. Hubby, and he shot me a dirty look. I was quickly whisked away.
Later, after I'd joined the Navy, Ms. Star had a popular poster out in which she was in a red bathing suit, that became very iconic, for the times. Many of my fellow sailors drooled over this poster. I myself had an insulated, plastic cup with the poster on it. But, I'd have to say that I never had an impure thought whenever I looked at her picture. Instead, I experienced a feeling of warm remembrance of a very nice person who was kind to me, at a time in my life when I really needed kindness.
After my father passed away when I was 13, my living arrangements changed constantly, once my stepmother gave-up any pretenses about wanting me in the house. The second place I lived in, was in Downey, California. Soon after arriving there I'd felt overwhelmed by things, and decided to 'take the day off' from school.
I was tooling around on my bike, and came to a huge, industrial type complex of buildings, behind barbed wire fences, called North American Rockwell, Space Division.
I was totally into science, and the space program. So, I did what any 14 year-old kid (I think that's how old I was at the time) would do, and walked up to their front door, and rang the bell.
Somebody came to answer -- for the life of me, I can't remember who -- and naturally, he asked me what I wanted. I asked if I could 'look around.'
Now, here comes the 'amazing' part. Instead of telling me to 'am-scray,' or to beat-feet, he said: "Wait here a moment." I did, and eventually a man in a suit opened the door, and introduced himself. His name was Joe Queen, and I'm pretty sure he said (it was a long time ago, folks) that he was the Public Relations Director. He shepherded me in, and began to show me around.
It was the most amazing place! I know there were many space-travel related artifacts there, but what I remember the most vividly was the full size mock-up of the space shuttle, which hadn't been built yet.
This 'personal tour' was great! I thought nothing could top it -- until something did. Mr. Queen told me that a (then) popular TV show was being filmed there, and did I want to take a look at that? Did I!
What show was this? Well, I can tell you that the main character, in the show's storyline, needed a lot of health-care, and a lot of reconstructive surgery. Oh, and the surgery was said to cost a pretty penny: somewhere in the neighborhood of $6,000,000.
He took me to a room that had one of the early space capsules in it, and introduced me to that episode's costar, who happened to be the star of the show's real-life wife. She was known for her gorgeous blond hair, and for being an 'Angel.' And then, Mr. Queen said he'd come back for me, later.
Myself and this lovely lady talked as if we were just two ordinary people (though only I was guilty of carrying that designation). She was wearing a spacesuit, and we talked about that. She even let me feel the material in the sleeve. We talked about the space program, and about what it's like to be on TV. She was warm and friendly, and talked to me as if I mattered. I remember her inviting me to look through the window of the space capsule, and the cameraman being miffed that the back of my head had touched his camera lens.
Eventually, Mr. Queen came and collected me. Next, he took me to see the 'hubby.' He introduced me, and Hubby looked at him incredulously, his expression saying: "What the hell is this?" I said something to Mr. Hubby, and he shot me a dirty look. I was quickly whisked away.
Later, after I'd joined the Navy, Ms. Star had a popular poster out in which she was in a red bathing suit, that became very iconic, for the times. Many of my fellow sailors drooled over this poster. I myself had an insulated, plastic cup with the poster on it. But, I'd have to say that I never had an impure thought whenever I looked at her picture. Instead, I experienced a feeling of warm remembrance of a very nice person who was kind to me, at a time in my life when I really needed kindness.
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