“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard…” — President John F. Kennedy, Sept. 1962
Like all cities and towns throughout the world, Clifton watched and waited on July 20, 1969 as the Apollo 11 crew of Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” AlThe crew of the Apollo 11: Neil A. Armstrong, commander; Michael Coldrin and Michael Collins flew through lins, command module pilot; and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot. space toward the moon. But, unlike other locations, the city Kennedy swam to safety but his passenger, Mary Jo had a real connection to the mission— Kopechne of Berkeley Heights, N.J., did not. though most did not know it at the time and others will Kennedy never reported the incident and the subfind it surprising today. merged car was spotted by fishermen that Saturday On July 20, 1969, the city was in July’s firm grip. morning. The night before, storms had ripped through the area It was ironic that Kennedy’s fall from grace coincidtearing roofs and damaging businesses along Main St. ed with his late brother JFK’s vision of landing on the in neighboring Paterson. moon—something the president challenged America to That Saturday afternoon at Nash Park, the Clifton accomplish in 1962. Phillies lost, 6-4, to Wayne’s Packanack Lake team— Armstrong and Aldrin landed the lunar module Eamuch to the chagrin of manager Bob Potts. In nearby gle on the moon on Saturday at 4:17 pm (Collins reUpper Montclair, cars and pedestrians journeyed by Almained with the orbiting command module). With the drin’s boyhood home at 44 Princeton Place where he moon walk coming later, people gathered in the middle lived before going on to West Point. of Central Park’s Sheep Meadow to crowd around three Buzz had played for the Montclair High Mounties nine-by-twelve-foot television screens. football team as a 160-pound center (never facing the Rain fell. By that night, 10,000 people were there Clifton Mustangs), part of the undefeated 1946 state and 500 waved American Flags—made by the Americhampion team. His coach, Clary Anderson, who atcan Flag and Banner Co. of Clifton. tended the Apollo 11 launch, said Aldrin played like a Elsewhere in space, a Russian spacecraft, Luna 15, “bearcat—a tiger.” orbited the moon. Soviet scientists said it had the ability In the news, the country was shocked by the actions to collect surface samples and return to earth. Instead, of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. That Friday-Saturday it crashed into the moon, well after the Americans had between 11:30 pm and 1 am, Kennedy drove his car arrived. off the Dike Bridge on the island of Chappaquiddick.
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July 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com