Lisa & George Schott
We have been dedicated to the mission of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) for a long time. In fact, our involvement goes back to 1987, just 3 years after it was founded as the Mercury 7 Foundation. Lisa was among the earliest scholarship recipients and has remained involved in a variety of volunteer and leadership roles. Lisa began by volunteering her time, out of gratitude for the financial support that she received while studying at Georgia Tech. She is now the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors and founder of the scholarship alumni group, the Astronaut Scholars Honor Society. George is a dedicated volunteer, attending events, helping wherever needed, and frequently winning live auction bids. We appreciate the opportunities that ASF has provided to us and are pleased to have the ability to create similar opportunities for the next generation of scientists and engineers.
When you reach the point in life where you begin thinking about the legacy that you want to leave behind, you tend to reflect on others who have impacted the world in a positive way. The Mercury 7 Astronauts and their colleagues Henri Landwirth and Dr. Bill Douglas made a tremendous impression on us. Each of them achieved things in their careers beyond what most people even dream of; they truly reached the pinnacle of technical accomplishment. However, they decided that they did not want to rest on the laurels of their incredible accomplishments. They wanted to impact future generations by creating this scholarship foundation to support all frontiers of science and engineering and inspire future generations to ensure that America retains its world leadership in technology and innovation. Like the Mercury 7, we want to be remembered not only for our engineering career accomplishments but also for giving back. As Wally Schirra once said, “When all is said and done, the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation may be our greatest legacy.
Ed & Sandy Grace, Volunteer & STEM Supporter
I had the good fortune of working on the Apollo program for ten years, 1963 – 1972, at the MIT Draper Labs, designing and developing the Primary Guidance Navigation & Control System used to control and fly the Command and Lunar Modules. We had many meetings with the Astronauts on how best to design the Guidance System to meet their requirements. We also provided on-site support during missions at Johnson Space Center. I was at Johnson Space Center Mission Control for the Apollo 13 flight and a member of the Mission Operations Team awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Nixon in 1970.
About 12 years ago, I was watching the Tom Hanks Apollo 13 movie with my nine-year-old nephew, who was visiting us, explaining to him what was happening. Soon after he returned home to Michigan, I received a phone call requesting that I be his “show and tell” for his third-grade class. Of course, I fulfilled his request, and next, purely by word of mouth, my wife and I were speaking at many different schools and organizations about the Apollo 13 mission.
That led us to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, where my wife and I have volunteered for the past five years. We attend the Innovators Week & Gala, which honors the incoming Astronaut Scholars each year. During the conference, each of the scholars gives a short presentation on the research they are doing at their school. We were so blown away with the technical presentations made by the scholars that we joined the mentor program and have now mentored three ASF scholars as they pursue their education. Being part of helping these kids get their STEM education is very rewarding to us and we would like to assist the ASF in the future by joining the Mercury 7 Society and making a commitment to support ASF’s mission to nurture exceptional and bright STEM college students for years to come with our estate plan.
Hugh Harris, Volunteer & STEM Supporter
I believe that giving is an acknowledgement of one of the deepest aspirations of humankind - the desire to leave the world a better place than we found it. We accomplish that in a myriad of ways (often with the help of many other people) but in the end it is a very personal effort of one person helping another.
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation has helped more than 600 scholars directly but indirectly improved the lives of potentially millions more through their work. You can read the stories of how a few of those scholars are sharing their lives with the rest of the world on the ASF website.
I was drawn to helping ASF from its beginnings by my relationship with the astronauts but equally by the vision that so many supporters share with ASF. I was privileged to accompany Alan Shepard on several speaking engagements after his first flight. Back in the 1960s, we discussed, and I observed, his deep commitment to encouraging young people to seek advanced education in the technical professions. Even though I knew the early astronauts as rough and ready fighter pilots who loved practical jokes and meeting their buddies at the local watering holes in Cocoa Beach, they also often were uneasy with being in the spotlight and aware that what they said and did could have far reaching effects.
So, I was not surprised when in 1984 Shepard and the rest of the original seven astronauts created the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation; I was instantly ready to support it in my job with NASA as well as outside of work. The question for me was how I could best help the Foundation. I was able to help through various activities, but real money is the biggest essential. For me that meant multiplying what I will eventually be able to give by making ASF the partial beneficiary of the investment account I created for my children. It might have worked equally well with an insurance policy but by partnering with the stock market I am hoping for a bigger bequest than I could make otherwise.
Raymond Reines
As a young boy with a newspaper route, I became interested in collecting coins, especially after a customer taught me about silver coins. As I got older, I discovered antique cast iron mechanical toy banks, though they were very expensive. One day while antiquing in Georgia, a friend showed me a pot metal mechanical toy bank in the form of a spaceship heading toward the Moon. Having never seen this before, I began researching it and discovered that these banks were made to honor the United States’ efforts and achievements in space.
Shortly after beginning the research, I found another Strato Bank online that I had to have:
The bank was signed by Wally Schirra. After seeing pictures of my collection, Jack Sell invited me to attend the Astronaut Scholarships Foundation’s Autograph and Memorabilia Show. This began my interest in learning about the impact astronauts and the space program had on our society and culture.
I also wondered whether any museums might have an interest, so I began calling various Space-themed American historical institutions.
Of the nine museums who've acquired my gifts since 2009, five now have them on display, including the Henry Ford Museum, Queens Museum, USS Intrepid, Smithsonian Air & Space and the JFK Presidential Library & Museum in Boston.
While I enjoyed the purchasing, sharing the stories, and selling of the banks and other Space Race artifacts at the ASF events, the real impact ASF had on me was very personal. ASF changed, and defined a true purpose for, my life.
Growing up in a dysfunctional family, I had low self-esteem and didn’t have many friends. The staff at ASF and the people I met throughout the years accepted me. Everyone welcomed me and made me feel like I belonged. I had purchased autographs that helped to support the Foundation, but it was tangible, and I received something in exchange. Leaving ASF as my benefactor for my IRA is an opportunity for me to give back to an organization that means a great deal to me.
I am honored and truly appreciate the opportunity.
I wholly believe that through the ASF mission, the Astronaut Scholars will change humanity for the better. I am proud that my gift will help be a part of this effort.
