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50 Years After the First Manned Moon Landing, Springfield Seniors Look Back

The 50th anniversary of the first manned moon mission is Saturday, July 20th. We went down to the South Side Senior Center during lunchtime to interview people who remember that historic moment in American history. 

Patricia Click was in her 20s in 1969: “I remember being very, very proud, and at the same time very nervous and worried, and I remember praying because I was so scared that something would happen, that maybe he wouldn’t be able to get back.”

Bud Carrol was 48 at the time: “I’m glad it wasn’t me!”

Gwendolyn Fawcett was 45 in 1969: “We were on our way back from Florida, where we had been on vacation. We had a camper and my husband had fixed a TV so that we could see the moon landing. We watched it on our way home to Kansas from Florida. Certainly there was pride that we had beaten the Russians to it.”

David Ward was 19 at the time: “I thought it was the most fantastic thing that’s ever happened. I thought it was a great experience because I didn’t think they could go out and come back. It was something we really worked on, and got it to happen. That they could send somebody out to space and bring them back healthy. I was proud of America. I was very proud of America. I really think they’ve done a good job.”

Josh Conaway is a graduate of Missouri State University with a B.A. in Political Science and an M.A. in International Affairs. He works as a news reporter and announcer at KSMU. His favorite part of the job is exploring the rich diversity of the Ozarks and meeting people with interesting stories to share. He has a passion for history and running.