INformant Sullivan Daily Times
• FEBRUARY 2016
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Challenger explosion personal for Tucker
Sullivan man almost had teacher McAuliffe’s seat By ANDREW KRULL editor.sdt@gmail.com
Contributed photos Sullivanʼs Steve Tucker was one of the higher alternates in the Teacher-in-Space program that allowed for one of the nationʼs teachers to participate in a space shuttle flight. Tucker called the Challenger disaster “an extremely tragic end to an idea to encourage kids to study space and space exploration.” Above, Tucker is pictured in the 1985-86 era of the training, with the Challenger launch and explosion in the background.
COVER STORY
PLUS
As a high school senior, I remember our class room watching the space shuttle Challenger blast off just over 30 years ago only to watch it disintegrate 73 seconds later in an explosion — a numbness and unsettled feeling pervaded the school for the rest of the day as news updates were reported of what went wrong. Sullivanʼs Steve Tucker had a much closer and more personal connection to the disaster as one of just over 100 national Teacher-in-Space finalists for the failed flight that took off on Jan. 28, 1986, but the “disbelief” was similar to what most Americans experienced that day. See TUCKER on B2
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The Sullivan Daily Times S E N I O R I N F O R M A N T • February 2016 • Page B2
Continued from B1 “There were two teachers from each state,” Tucker said Wednesday, answering affirmatively that he was a close alternate for the flight. “Thatʼs correct. I was third down the line.” He watched the launch from a VIP viewing area with other candidates and family members. “Yeah, with Christaʼs (McAuliffe) family and Christaʼs class from the school that she taught at and her parents, and all of the other alternates that were picked,” Tucker said of the teacher who ultimately was chosen for the flight and died in the explosion. “And, of course, we didnʼt know what happened either in the VIP area, and they didnʼt announce it very quickly with her parents and kids that were there. “Her parents were there, her husband was there, her children, her students,” he noted. “That would be a traumatic thing for her students, seeing their teacher killed right before their eyes, as well as her parents and all of us. “I was experiencing it myself, so I wasnʼt looking around,” Tucker answered in relation to what he saw. “Disbelief at first ... and then, (the thought of) it couldnʼt be good. There was sadness and people crying and some screaming. Parents were hugging each other. ... Some of the children were crying, they kind of figured out theyʼd lost their teacher.” He noted the three months of training with the Teacher-in-Space program created a bond between the participants — with two selected from each state and others from a few United States territories. “We varied in age a lot,” Tucker said. “I was kind of in the middle (in his early 40s). We had one from Arizona who was in her 60s. It was kind of amazing, no matter where we came from we found we
Contributed photo An autographed picture of Barbara Morgan, who completed a space shuttle flight in 2007, and Christa McAuliffe, who died in the Challenger explosion on Jan. 28, 1986, is among Steve Tuckerʼs keepsakes from his days with the Teacher-in-Space program.
had common problems and common goals. “We spent our entire summer in 1985 working and preparing,” he continued. “A lot in Washington (D.C.), some of it was at Cape Canaveral, some of it was in Houston and some of it was in Space Camp at Huntsville, Alabama. ... We were trained for three solid months. You were not free the rest of the day. It didnʼt happen.” Tucker was an art teacher at West Vigo High School at the time. He has a picture with then U.S. Senator Dan Quayle and West Lafayetteʼs Bob Forrester, the other educator chosen from Indiana, taken after their selection for the program. “I was the only art teacher that was selected,” Tucker said. “Mostly science and social studies teachers were in contention.” See TUCKER on B11
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C O M M E N TA R Y:
Indiana opened first mental hospital in 1848
Contributed photo The Indiana Medical History Museum is the oldest surviving pathology facility in the nation and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
By ANDREA NEAL
In 1848, the Indiana Hospital for the Insane opened on the west side of Indianapolis, launching a new era in health care that would witness the most progressive innovations and the most heinous abuses. Historians credit a great social reformer, Dorothea Dix, with persuading Hoosier lawmakers to fund a mental hospital in order to provide more humane treatment to the most vulnerable citi-
zens. When Dix began her campaign in the early 1840s, societyʼs understanding of mental illness was crude if not primitive. Idiots and insane — as they were called back then — were housed in county poor asylums or sent to live in foster homes funded, albeit inadequately, by the government. They were chained in closets or dungeon-like cellars with no sunlight and almost no human interaction. In 1845, lawmakers
authorized building a hospital, and the state purchased for that purpose a 160-acre farm two miles from downtown Indianapolis on the National Road. The Indiana Hospital for the Insane opened on Nov. 21, 1848, with eight patients. “This achievement marked the beginning of state responsibility which made possible medical care for the insane,” wrote Evelyn C. Adams in the 1936 Indiana Magazine of History. See OPENED on B4
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Continued from B3 The site would make medical history many times during its existence, says historian Elizabeth Nelson, director of public programs at the Indiana Medical History Museum located in the hospitalʼs old pathology building. “There were certainly dark periods in the hospitalʼs history,” Nelson observes. “There were also very important innovations by progressive people in charge of the hospital.” Three innovators stand out: • William B. Fletcher, superintendent from 1883 to 1887, reduced the medicinal use of alcohol, halted secret burials of patients who died in state care and abolished the use of physical restraints. • George F. Edenharter, superintendent from 1893 to 1923, recognized the value of research in understanding causes and treatments of mentally ill and in 1895 opened one of the nationʼs first pathology departments, which engaged in groundbreaking research and medical instruction. • Max A. Bahr, superintendent from 1923 to 1952, sought to remove the stigma from the men-
The Sullivan Daily Times S E N I O R I N F O R M A N T • February 2016 • Page B4 tally ill. He prohibited lobotomies and instituted an occupational and recreational therapy program that engaged patients in rug weaving, sewing, basket making, checkers, pool, croquet and tennis. When the legislature authorized three more regional psychiatric institutions in 1889, the Indianapolis hospital changed its name to Central State. It remained the largest with an average population of 1,800 at its height in the early 20th century. During an active period of building expansion at the turn of the century, the hospital became much like a college campus, adopting Dr. Thomas Kirkbrideʼs “linear plan,” which featured a large central main building with flanking pavilions and patient rooms with windows looking out on aesthetically pleasing landscapes. Kirkbride was a leading national authority on mental illness who insisted that physical surroundings should be part of any treatment plan. As with many statefunded services, mental health suffered from repeated cycles of public attention followed by woefully inadequate spending over the years,
and chronic allegations of physical abuse, overcrowding and improper treatment. The development of more effective drugs for treating mental illness led to the deinstitutionalization movement of the 1960s, and Central State discharged many of its long-term patients and became involved in community-based mental health. In the 1990s complaints of abuse and unnecessary deaths led to the closing of the facility by Gov. Evan Bayh. Although much of the original campus has been torn down, the pathology building was saved and became a museum in 1969. Appearing much as it did in 1895, the museum preserves patient autopsy records, tissue slides and pathological specimens, including an impressive display of brains. Its focal point is the wood-paneled lecture hall illuminated by skylights used by the Indiana University School of Medicine until 1956. (Andrea Neal is a teacher at St. Richardʼs Episcopal School in Indianapolis and adjunct scholar with the Indiana Policy Review Foundation. This is another in a series of columns to celebrate Indianaʼs bicentennial.)
B.SullivanJ.HARGIS Daily Times Local Sports Coverage
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Senior menus
The West Central Indiana Economic Development District serves lunch at the Haddon Township Community Building, Alexander Street, Carlisle, (812) 398-3945, noon. Feb. 4 – Ham and beans, pickled beets, peach crisp, corn bread with margarine, milk, coffee, tea. Feb. 5 – Ribbette, macaroni and cheese, vegetable blend, pears, bread with margarine, milk, coffee, tae. Feb. 8 – Cubed pork with gravy, red potatoes with herbs, broccoli, pears, bread with margarine, milk, coffee, tea. Feb. 9 – Chicken patty on English muffin, hominy with cheese sauce, carrots, sherbet, milk, coffee, tea. Feb. 10 – Vegetable lasagna roll-up, cauliflower, green beans with carrots, pineapple, breadstick, milk, coffee, tea. Feb. 11 – Cheeseburger, Brussels sprouts, corn, mixed fruit, bun, milk, coffee, tea. Feb. 12 – Fish square, mashed potatoes, vegetable blend, Mandarin oranges, bread with margarine, milk, coffee, tea. Feb. 15 – Presidentsʼ Day, sites closed. Feb. 16 – Swiss steak, creamed lima beans, hot applesauce, cookie, milk, coffee, tea. Feb. 17 – Spaghetti and meatballs, cau-
liflower, peas, fruit cocktail, bread with margarine, milk, coffee, tea. Feb. 18 – Meat loaf, garlic cubed potatoes, stewed tomatoes, peaches, bread with margarine, milk, coffee, tea. Feb. 19 – Egg salad, vegetable soup, zucchini, hot fruit salad, bread with margarine, milk, coffee, tea. Feb. 22 – Chicken with ham and Swiss, broccoli, roasted sweet potato, pudding, bread with margarine, milk, coffee, tea. Feb. 23 – Cheesy pasta and ham, peas and carrots, seasoned cabbage, frozen custard, bread with margarine, milk, coffee, tea. Feb. 24 – Chopped steak with gravy, Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, apple juice, bread with margarine, milk, coffee, tea. Feb. 25 – Ham and beans, spinach, fruit crisp, corn bread with margarine, milk, coffee, tea. Feb. 26 – Potato soup, tuna salad, carrots, applesauce, bread, milk, coffee, tea. Feb. 29 – Hot dog, baked beans, mixed vegetables, pineapple, bun, milk, coffee, tea. March 1 – Pork roast with gravy, potatoes and carrots, Brussels sprouts, cinnamon apple slices, milk, coffee, tea. March 2 – Hamburger steak with onions, corn, spiced peaches, dessert, bread with margarine, milk, coffee, tea.
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Miller advises on how to calculate your retirement number
Dear Savvy Senior, Can you help me calculate about how much my wife and I need to save for retirement? We are both in out late-fifties and want to see where we stand. — Looking Ahead Dear Looking, Calculating an approximate number of how much youʼll need to save for a comfortable retirement is actually pretty easy, and doesnʼt take long to do. Itʼs a simple, three-step process that includes estimating your future living expenses, tallying up your retirement income and calculating the difference. There are even a host of online calculators that can help you with this too. Living Expenses The first step is the most difficult – estimating your living expenses when you retire. If you want a quick ballpark estimate, figure around 75 to 85 percent of your current gross income. Thatʼs what most people find they need to maintain their current lifestyle in retirement. If you want a more precise estimate, track your current living expenses on a worksheet and deduct any costs you expect to go away or decline when you retire, and
By Jim
Savvy Senior
MILLER
add whatever new ones you anticipate Costs you can scratch off your list include workrelated expenses like commuting or lunches out, as well as the amount youʼre socking away for retirement. You may also be able to deduct your mortgage if you expect to have it paid off by retirement, and your kidʼs college expenses. Your income taxes should also be less. On the other hand, some costs will probably go up when you retire, like health care, and depending on your interests you may spend a lot more on travel, golf or other hobbies. And, if youʼre going to be retired for 20 or 30 years you also need to factor in the occasional big budget items like a new roof, furnace or car. Tally Income Step two is to calculate your retirement income. If you and/or your wife contribute to Social Security, go to ssa.gov/myaccount to get your personalized statement that estimates what your retirement benefits
will be at age 62, full retirement age and when you turn 70. In addition to Social Security, if you or your wife has a traditional pension plan from an employer, find out from the plan administrator how much you are likely to get when you retire. And, figure in any other income from other sources you expect to have, such as rental properties, parttime work, etc. Calculate the Difference The final step is to do the calculations. Subtract your annual living expenses from your annual retirement income. If your income alone can cover your bills, youʼre all set. If not, youʼll need to tap your savings, including your 401(k) plans, IRAs, or other investments to make up the difference. So, letʼs say for example you need around $55,000 a year to meet your living expenses and pay taxes, and you and your wife expect to receive $30,000 a year from Social Security and other income. That leaves a $25,000 shortfall that youʼll need to pull from your nest egg each year ($55,000 – $30,000 = $25,000). Then, depending on what age you want to retire, you need to multiply
your shortfall by at least 25 if you want to retire at 60, 20 to retire at 65, and 17 to retire at 70 – or in this case that would equate to $625,000, $500,000 and $425,000, respectively. Why 25, 20 and 17? Because that would allow you to pull 4 percent a year from your savings, which is a safe withdrawal strategy that in most cases will let your money last as long as you do. If you need some
SERVING G THE AREA'S LEGAL NEEDS FOR OVER 100 YEARS
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help, thereʼs a bevy of free online retirement calculators to assist you, like the ones offered by T. Rowe Price (troweprice.com/retirement) or Financial Mentor (financialmentor.com/calculator). Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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deadly, their level is high, and their material is fresh, original, imaginative, and terribly funny.” Following Gouldingʼs death in 1990, Elliott remained active as a solo performer, appearing regularly throughout the ʻ90s on television and occasionally in films. He played Bob Newhartʼs father on the series “Newhart” and his own son Chrisʼ father on “Get a Life.” He also appeared in the films “Quick Change” and “Cabin Boy.” He had also worked solo occasionally during the teamʼs long run, appearing in the film “Author Author” and in a handful of TV movies. He and his late partner were inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995. See ELLIOTT on B8
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cast member for four seasons. Bob and Ray practiced a gentle, quirky ELLIOTT brand of comedy that relied not on oneliners or boffo jokes but rather a deadpan delivery that relentlessly skewered pomposity and seriousness. “I guess itʼs the hilarity of pomposity; that hasnʼt gone out of fashion,” Elliott said when asked to explain the enduring nature of their humor. Goulding added: “We magnify the insignificant. You know, flourishes and bands accompanying the opening of a sandwich.” The team won a prestigious Peabody Award in 1956. “They deal primarily in satire, that rare and precious commodity,” the judges wrote. “Their aim is
puzzle nut...
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PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Bob Elliott, half of the enduring television and radio comedy team Bob and Ray, has died, He was 92. Elliott, father of actor-comedian Chris Elliott, died Tuesday at his home in Cundyʼs Harbor, Maine, part of the town of Harpswell, Rick Gagne, director of the Brackett Funeral Home, said Wednesday. The cause of death wasnʼt immediately available. For nearly 45 years, until the death of Elliottʼs comedy partner Ray Goulding, Bob and Ray entertained millions of radio listeners and television viewers. Elliottʼs youngest son, Chris, also became a comedian, appearing in films and on David Lettermanʼs show. Chrisʼ daughter Abby Elliott was a “Saturday Night Live”
FOR THE
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Bob Elliott, of comic duo Bob and Ray, dies at 92
Elliott
The Sullivan Daily Times S E N I O R I N F O R M A N T • February 2016 • Page B8
Continued from B7 Bob and Rayʼs long partnership began at Boston radio station WHDH in 1946 when Goulding, after delivering the news on Elliottʼs music program, began to stick around and swap anecdotes with the host. “When we first began, it was 90 percent ad lib,” Elliott recalled in 1992. “A good part of what we did involved two or three hours of playing records, and the records gave you time to think of what to do next.” Listeners demanded more, however, and the station soon scheduled “Matinee with Bob and Ray.” It offered offbeat comments on the dayʼs news, fables about fictitious
characters and bogus contest offers. In a biography of Bob and Ray admirer Woody Allen, Eric Lax wrote that Elliott and Goulding “created thousands of perfectly oddball characters. ... They manipulated language the way Satchel Paige manipulated baseballs.” One elaborate joke, put on during the early days of TV, pretended to offer phony television antennas for sale to radio listeners who wanted to impress their neighbors. “Try to be a phony in your neighborhood,” the ads proclaimed. “If youʼre going to be a phony, be a good one.” The pair made their own move to television in 1951 with the “Bob and Ray” show. Unlike Sid Caesar,
Milton Berle and other early TV comedians, they did not attract a mass audience. But their low-key humor, once described by The New York Times as “outrageously innocuous,” was cherished by a devoted following. Their show rarely dealt with topical matters, an exception coming during the Red-hunting days of Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Then, during a soap opera parody that took place in the small town of “Skunk Hollow,” they introduced a blustering Commissioner Carstairs, who waved a list of names of supposed miscreants he threatened to expose. The program, which also featured Cloris Leachman and Audrey Meadows as regulars, ended in
1953. In New York City, meanwhile, Elliott and Goulding continued to thrive. They appeared on the Ed Sullivan and Steve Allen television shows and won a regular spot on NBCʼs “Today Show.” They also appeared on Broadway in “Bob and Ray, The Two and Only” and released record albums and books of their comedy sketches. Born in Boston, Elliott had attended the Feagan School of Drama and Radio After an early first marriage to June Underwood ended in divorce, he married Lee Knight in 1954 and they had five children: Colony, Shannon, Amy, Robert Jr. and Christopher.
The Sullivan Daily Times S E N I O R I N F O R M A N T • February 2016 • Page B9
Mystery meat: Was it really woolly mammoth on the menu?
(AP) — A Yale researcher says a lavish 1951 Explorers Club dinner in New York City didnʼt include 250,000-year-old extinct woolly mammoth, despite folklore about the event. Nor did the feast include meat from a giant ground sloth, as the menu promised. A new DNA analysis from a fist-sized piece of meat that survived the soiree featuring “prehistoric meats” showed something more mundane: sea turtle. “Iʼm sure people wanted to believe it. They had no idea that many years later, a Ph.D. student would come along and figure this out with DNA sequencing techniques,” said Jessica Glass, a Yale graduate student and colead author of a study published Wednesday in the
i found it inside the
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journal PLOS ONE. The Explorers Club gala, held in the grand ballroom of the Roosevelt Hotel, promised a menu of Pacific spider crabs, green turtle soup, bison steaks and meat from an extinct giant ground sloth, according to Adalgisa Caccone, a senior research scientist and study co-author. The event appears to have similarities to a fictional account in the 1990 Matthew Broderick film, “The Freshman,” in which high rollers paid $1 million for the privilege of eating meat from endangered species, only to be served Hawaiian tigerfish mixed with smoked turkey. Some of the folklore about mammoth being on the menu apparently grew out of a Christian Science Monitor story that ran days after the January 1951
event. It reported that the “chief attraction at the smorgasbord was a morsel of 250,000-year-old hairy mammoth meat.” It apparently had been found at “Woolly Cove” on Akutan Island, in the Aleutians, and was shipped to New York. According to Yale, the banquetʼs promoter, Commander Wendell Phillips Dodge sent out press notices saying the annual dinner would feature “prehistoric meat.” An Explorers Club member, Paul Griswold Howes of the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, was unable to attend the dinner but requested a piece of the meat be sent to him. Although the sample was labeled as “Megatherium,” or giant sloth, the myth about the wooly mammoth persisted over the decades. Breckenridge Commons & Villas are designed with your comfort and satisfaction in mind. Our community reflects dedication to premier senior living. Stop by or call today for a tour!
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Millerʼs Merry Manor
Senior living
Jenny Damron, GRCA, was Januaryʼs Employee of the Month. The Linton resident has three children and seven grandchildren. She has worked at Millerʼs for three years. Resident February birthdays are Mary Alumbaugh, Feb. 1; Celeste McCormick and Norma Smith, Feb. 10; and Darrell McCammon, Feb. 25. The new Valentineʼs Day king and queen will be crowned at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12. Refreshments will be served, and Mary Huff will provide the music.
Assisted Living
The Valentineʼs Day dinner will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11. Entertainment will be provided by Carson Willis on the piano. The king and queen will be crowned. The cost of the meal is $7 with reservations due by Feb. 5. Master Naturalist Sue Van Sant visited Assisted Living to talk about birds, specifically, the American Bald Eagle. Those celebrating February birthdays are June Frederick, Feb. 2; and Peggy Willoughby, Feb. 12. A total of 19 pies were contributed for the pie auction fundraiser. This yearʼs sale raised $585 for the Our Fatherʼs Arms Food Pantry.
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PLANNING FOR W E A LT H & S E C U R I T Y By Estate, Trust & Elder Law Attorneys Jennifer & Jeff Hawkins
Attention Veterans: Avoid VA Pension/Medicaid Eligibility Traps The US Department of Veterans Affairs (also known as the “VA”) expresses some of our nation’s respect and gratitude to US military veterans by providing various benefits to veterans, their surviving spouses, and dependent children. Unfortunately, many veterans follow bad advice to pursue the VA’s Aid and Attendance benefit to pay home healthcare and assisted-living costs, and unwittingly disqualify themselves for more important benefits in the future. The VA’s Aid and Attendance benefit provides a small pension to a veteran, the veteran’s surviving spouse, or the veteran’s dependent children, if they are in the nursing home, blind, or in substantial daily need for assistance from another person to perform basic functions required for everyday living. Those basic living functions include the ability to dress, bathe, adjust or use special prosthetic or orthopedic appliances, or use the bathroom. The need for living assistance may result from either physical or mental disability. The amount of the pension varies around $2,000, depending upon the benefit claimant’s income level and household size. Aid and Attendance claimants must satisfy the VA’s “net worth” evaluation to qualify for the pension. The VA considers a claimant’s income, expenses, assets, and debts to determine whether the claimant’s financial resources are sufficient to meet the claimant’s basic needs without help from VA. The VA will not pay the pension if the claimant’s “assets are large enough that the claimant could use these assets to pay living expenses for a reasonable period of time.” The VA does offers no clear net worth eligibility guideline, but some people use a rule of thumb that eligibility is more doubtful if a single claimant’s net worth is $50,000 or more, or if a married couple’s net worth is $80,000 or more. Some annuity sales people make persuasive annuity sales pitches to veterans and their families. The typical sales pitch advises a client to buy an irrevocable annuity that pays enough money each month to cover assisted-living facility fees or other living expenses after the client qualifies for the Aid and Attendance benefit. If the client’s wealth is too high to qualify for the Aid and Attendance benefit, the salesperson will advise the client to give assets away to family members to reduce the client’s net worth. Congress has been considering a rule change to disqualify Aid and Attendance benefit claimants for giving away assets for several years. After Congress changes the law, the annuity and gift strategy will no longer work. The big problem is that federal and state laws already punish older people for buying certain kinds of annuities and giving away assets. Medicaid pays nursing home and home healthcare bills for people that cannot afford to pay those costs (the average monthly nursing home cost in Indiana is more than $5,900). In order to keep people from giving away their assets to speed up Medicaid eligibility, Medicaid law disqualifies claimants if they apply for Medicaid within five years after buying certain kinds of annuities or giving away assets. The tragic problem that ignorant or deceptive “advisors” create for veterans is that the annuity and gift advice sacrifices critically important Medicaid eligibility for much less valuable Aid and Attendance benefits. For example, consider a veteran’s investment of $100,000 in an irrevocable annuity (the technical term is “immediate annuity”). The veteran may get around $2,000 per month to pay a $3,000 per month assisted-living bill. That strategy comes back to bite a veteran whose health declines enough to require nursing home care because the annuity investment may disqualify the veteran for Medicaid benefits to pay a $6,500 per month nursing home bill. Veterans and their families should never rely on non-lawyer presentations about VA pensions and Medicaid eligibility. Some of the annuity sales people described in this article make presentations to people at veterans organizations, senior centers, assisted-living facilities, and nursing homes. Just because they have glossy brochures and fancy slideshow presentations does not mean that they know all of the legal consequences of the investments that they promote. Only an experienced elder law attorney can offer an unbiased comparison of the alternatives. Jeff R. Hawkins and Jennifer J. Hawkins are Trust & Estate Specialty Board Certified Indiana Trust & Estate Lawyers and Jeff is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Both lawyers are admitted to practice law in Indiana, and Jeff Hawkins is admitted to practice law in Illinois. Jeff is also a registered civil mediator and the 2014-15 President of the Indiana State Bar Association. Find more about these and other topics at www.HawkinsLaw.com, add us to your Google+ circles, like us on Facebook, follow Jeff Hawkins on Twitter @HawkinsLawPC or call us at 812-268-8777. © Copyright 2015 Hawkins Law PC. All rights reserved.
Tucker
The Sullivan Daily Times S E N I O R I N F O R M A N T • February 2016 • Page B11
Continued from B2 Tucker also has an autographed picture from McAuliffe and Barbara Morgan, who eventually became the only teacher from the program to go into space with the launch of Endeavour just over 20 years later in August 2007. It is inscribed, “To our fellow educator, Space Ambassador, and friend — Best wishes!” Unlike other teachers in the program, Tucker
did not return to Florida for Morganʼs successful launch. “I saw her on television, and I said to someone, ʻShe looks a lot older than I remembered her,ʼ” he said. “She more or less completed the project.” Surprisingly, a portion of Tucker wishes he was picked for the Challenger flight, even knowing the tragedy that occurred. “Itʼs hard to deal with that,” he said. “A tiny part
of me would have liked to do it because itʼs a part of history, but 95 percent of me thinks thatʼs stupid because you have a family and a life. “I have mixed emotions (about the experience),” Tucker noted. “I made new friends and had new experiences. But itʼs tainted because of the tragedy. “Time goes on, heals all things,” he continued. “Iʼm not as upset about it as I used to be.”
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Savannah’s On My Mind • April 18–23, 2016 Our trip begins in Asheville, North Carolina at the Biltmore Estate, where we’ll tour the mansion and lavish gardens. Then it’s on to Charleston, South Carolina, for a guided city tour, harbor dinner cruise and a visit to the Magnolia Plantation, founded in 1676. In Savannah, Georgia, we’ll take a guided tour of the Historic District with plenty of time for sight-seeing and shopping. Those are just some Banquet hall at Biltmore Mansion of the highlights of a trip you won’t want to miss! Reservation forms available at all First banking centers. Sullivan pick-up and drop-off available.
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