Highways Into Space: A first-hand account of the beginnings of the human space program Read Online Free PDF Page A

program. We had engineers from many schools and states but not the “name” universities, and the young men did everything asked of them and more. This profession, as many others I would guess, is a matter of sound preparation, attitude and work ethic, not a school address.
    Back to the family, we just absorbed the daily lessons of family and friends and took it as standard. Folks stopped by regularly for a visit or a glass of beer. Uncle Steve walked all of Old Forge every day on his regular daily visit to family and some of his friends, even if he only stayed ten minutes. Mom took on caretaker duties for my grandfather and both grandmothers as live-ins at various times. When our folks decided to tear down the old house on River Street and build a new one in 1968 after we had all left home, their cousins (Dot and Bernie Ostroski) immediately invited Mom and Dad to live with them for the construction duration in their home in Pittston. Our parents cemented their relationship with the three Ostroski kids that carried on the rest of their lives. Such was the way of family in the Lackawanna valley.
    Relatively unspoken but pervasive at that time and in that place was the sense of patriotism for our country. It was very visible during the war years when so many went off to serve the country and the wives and mothers were left at home to care for the families. We did not have a lot of factories in the area where women went to work as in California in the aircraft factories, but there was plenty to do on the home front and women did it. And we never heard a complaint about it. Perhaps the last value that our parents worked hard to instill in us was something that I would call ambition. This was not the crass, self-involved ambition but rather a more noble desire for her children to be able to live a better life. In our family, even though I was going to a very difficult high-performance high school, the standard always was that you will learn; you will get an education and you will make something of yourself. It was considered mandatory that we do that and that we never even consider working in the mines.

Coal Miner
    Christmas Eve, 1950. The men working in the Pagnotti coal mine in Pittston, Pennsylvania, were beginning to think about enjoying Christmas Day with their families and friends. And then, “Cave-in, Chamber #2.” The dreaded words ripped through the miners like a chainsaw. Our Dad instantly remembered that his brother-in-law, Stanley Kulick, was working there with his buddy, Teddy. He took off for chamber #2, running as fast as he could. Dad was halfway there before realizing that he was still carrying the jackhammer he had been fixing earlier. As he approached, he saw a few other miners scrambling into the shaft while struggling to see through the clouds of dust. This was a dangerous time because it was impossible to know how much more caving was imminent. The miners slowed their pace while calling out for the men in the chamber. Soon, a choking voice was heard, hard to understand but coming nearer. Then, the light from his helmet flickered through the dusty gloom and one of the miners emerged, so covered with black and dust that Bill was not sure who it was. And then he recognized Stanley’s voice, “Teddy’s still in there. The cave was on his side.” One out, the other still unknown. More miners arrived, more lights to see with. Carefully, they advanced, calling for Teddy. No answer. More calls, still no answer. And there would not be an answer from Teddy on that Christmas Eve or any other time.
    The feeling of having little control over one’s fate had to be compounded for Stanley by the fact that he and Teddy switched sides of the coal car to shovel from on this particular night. Some of the other miners questioned that choice until Stanley explained that Teddy had asked to work on the side of the car where the roof later caved in. No matter, some measure of guilt must have attached to Stanley, although he