Wednesday, January 28 was the 40th anniversary of the Challenger disaster. But in Tallahassee, and other cities with a Challenger Learning Center, the occasion was one of celebration rather than mourning.
Dozens of people attended the local Challenger Center ceremony. But only one - Tallahassee's resident Astronaut Dr. Norm Thagard - actually had a personal relationship with those who were aboard the shuttle in 1986.
"Ron McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judy Resnik and Dick Scobee and I came into the astronaut program together on July 10, 1978."
Former Tallahassee State Representative Marjorie Turnbull was very much responsible for securing the legislative funding for the local center as a legacy.
"The family members came together and decided to create the Challenger Centers throughout the United States to foster interest and excellence in the fields of science, technology, engineering (and) mathematics."
Fittingly, as the main floor ceremony went on, a large group of young people who were enjoying the Center's experiences, watched attentively from the upstairs balcony. Then they were off on a realistic, simulated space mission of their own.
