Page 4 - Diamond News - Winter 2016-17

Nance

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running simulation after simulation. We weren’t better shot at my dream job if I went to Georgia
training from a manual; we were writing the Tech. Once at Tech I became the chairman of
manual. We would learn something from each AIAA and got to spend a day with astronaut
mission and then react to change procedures for John Young. When it came time to look for a
the next mission. During the 30 minutes that the job after graduation there it was – my dream job
lunar module was behind the moon before the of being a propulsion flight controller at NASA.
landing attempt, Gene Kranz got us together There was one problem – it said I had to have
and told us that we were about to do something an A average. I had a B average. I didn’t apply. I
that had never been done before. Gene stressed prayed to the Lord that I didn’t understand, but
that so long as we did our very best, he would I wanted his will be to done, so I would wait on
back us up in any decision that we made. Then him. A month later, I got a call at the DU house
Gene did something that totally changed the from someone who said he was Jim Hannigan
paradigm – he prayed for the success of the with NASA. I thought it was a joke and asked,
mission, but more importantly, he prayed for the “Who put you up to this?” It was for real and I Bob and Pat Nance enjoying vacation time in Florida
safety of the crew. got hired for my dream job. I was hired because with daughter Christie and her husband Jimmy (both
Why do you think that some people Jim Hannigan was a Georgia Tech graduate, are GA Tech grads) and granddaughters
Allie, Amie, and Annabel.
believe the moon landing was a hoax? and he was John Young’s roommate when they
When I first saw a “documentary” that were both at Tech. Jim was the head of the Upsilon brothers today?
proposed that we had not actually landed on lunar module systems branch, and one day in a When we lived in Houston, a bunch of us
the moon, I had to laugh. The hundreds of meeting he told John Young that he was going to DU brothers would get together with our wives
thousands of folks involved in the lunar mission Tech to hire a new propulsion flight controller. once a month and either go to dinner or some
couldn’t have kept the secret if there was one. John told him to hire me, and Jim Hannigan other event. When we moved back to Virginia to
After the mission, we requested a copy of the wanted me so bad that he looked me up and help with aging parents, we kept in touch with
photograph that Neil Armstrong took of Buzz called the phone in the hall of the DU house so email and Christmas cards. Since I retired a few
Aldrin coming down the ladder. They said he could hire me for my dream job. Remember years ago, we have gotten together for Georgia
that since Buzz was in the shadow of the lunar that Jim only hired one person, only looked at Tech football games. In 2015, I headed up
module, it was too dark. I got the opportunity one school, I didn’t ever apply for the job, and our 1960s DU Reunion, and it was wonderful
to look at the negative in its glassine cover and he only hired one propulsion flight controller. because I got to correspond and reconnect with
there was an image of Buzz on the negative, but Now you know why I wrote the book. almost 100 DU brothers. Since I had been the
it was much darker. I explained how they could What is your favorite memory from being unofficial photographer while an active, I had
“dodge” the part of the photo when they printed an active member? lots of pictures from the 1960s and presented a
the picture using their enlarger. That is where you I think my favorite memory would be the slide show that brought back a lot of memories
expose one area of a print less than the rest. Real party we had on Stone Mountain. I was the for all of us.
time computer graphics didn’t exist. Remember treasurer and was working to get us out of a Outside of volunteer work and writing,
that the lunar module computer had four 16k difficult financial situation. We were running what do you do for fun?
registers of memory for a behind on the mortgage, My wife Pat and I love boating. Pat finally
total memory of 64k. My and found it hard to do the got the photo bug and loves to take pictures of
64-gig iPhone has a million things we wanted to do. garden wildlife. She has pictures of bees that look
times the computing We came up with a plan as if they should go in National Geographic. We
power. Since this was a to have a series of parties do love to travel and always love going to the
new technique to them, and other events and make beach. Of course, there are the grandchildren.
they lightened the entire them so special that the One of my pastors used to say, “Grandchildren
area around Buzz making alumni would want to are God’s gift to us for not killing our children
it look like there was a come. Many of the alumni as teenagers.” We get our three granddaughters
spotlight on Buzz. In Fox’s brothers had unpaid rent about three weeks each summer and love to
“documentary,” they said and dues from when they take them places. One hobby I really enjoy is
that was their number one were active brothers. We astrophotography. After taking hundreds of
“proof” that the landing had a dance on top of astro-photos, I “stack” them using computer
was a fake. I guess I am to Stone Mountain when we software to make one good image.
blame. rented the pavilion on the What advice can you give the actives
What inspired you to top of the mountain and and alumni about living their dreams?
write a book? Bob and Pat enjoy boating on the the cable car. The price of I have been blessed by being able to live
The name of the book is Chesapeake Bay. admission for alumni was my dreams. My advice is to stay focused and
“It isn’t Rocket Science; It to pay what they owed. don’t give up hope even when the path seems
Is All About Faith.” In the book, I share how Thank goodness the weather was beautiful and impossible. I totally believe that if you want to
when I decided that I wanted to be sitting on it was an awesome dance. The active brothers follow your dreams, you need to trust in the
the console when we landed on the moon, the paid for the cost of the event, and the alumni Lord. “Living one’s dreams” might seem to be
Lord guided me step by step. I was talking to an got us in a better financial position that we had the ultimate goal, but it can amount to “limiting
advisor at MIT, and he told me that MIT was seen for years. one’s dreams” if we’re not careful. It is not
the think tank school and that I would have a How do you stay in touch with your Delta rocket science; it is about faith!
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