And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle’s takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It’s all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It’s all part of taking a chance and expanding man’s horizons. The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we’ll continue to follow them.
President Ronald Reagan, January 28, 1986
As regular readers of this blog know, I am honored to share my birthday, February 6, with the greatest president of my lifetime: Ronald Wilson Reagan. One aspect of his Presidency was the power of his oratory: Mr. Reagan being a master of giving voice to sentiments with verbal images that could move and inspire his listeners. One of the best short samples of his skill, is the speech that he gave on the day of the Challenger disaster. Reagan, obviously filled with grief himself, did not allow his speech to be a mere lament. While honoring the dead he pointed to the future, and told the hard truth that loss and disaster are the inevitable price to be paid for exploration and new frontiers. Here is the text of his speech: (more…)
Donald R. McClarey
Paul Zummo
Almost Chosen People 