From Wiki Commons: "Challenger explosion" by Kennedy Space Center. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons |
I'll always remember January 28, 1986, the day my grandmother, Alta (Slater) Norville (1917-1986), died in Casa Grande, Arizona, but not for the reason you might think.
While I knew that a teacher named Altamae Slater had given my mother up for adoption, I didn't find out what happened to her until the late 1990's. Yet I remember the day she died because it was the same day as the space shuttle Challenger disaster.
My memory is that I was just getting settled in my 9th grade English class for another day at Muirlands Junior High School (now Middle School) in La Jolla. It was my first experience of a national tragedy where everyone remembered where they were when they heard the news.
I can only imagine that this must have been a terrible day for Alta's husband, Pete Norville, and for Alta's nieces, nephews, and extended family.
© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.
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