Thoughts on a 60th Birthday that might have Been
Sharon C. Corrigan was born 60 years ago today.
If life were fair she'd be celebrating her birthday with her husband Steve, a federal judge; their 28 year old daughter Caroline, their 31 year old son Scott, her mother Grace Corrigan, and perhaps a grandchild or two as well. At age 60 she'd be eligible to retire from teaching, the profession she entered after graduating from Framingham State University in 1970. She first taught in the Washington DC area while Steve was attending Georgetown Law School, and during that time earned her Master's Degree from Bowie State University.
In 1978 the couple returned to their native New England, where Steve took a job as an assistant to the New Hampshire state attorney general. His wife spent a year at Rundlett Junior High School in Concord and three more at Bow (NH) Memorial Middle School before securing a position as a social studies teacher at Concord High School in 1982. Two years later she learned that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was conducting a national search for an exceptional educator who could be the first "Teacher in Space." The job involved delivering a lesson from aboard the space shuttle Challenger while also serving as a crew member. A vast majority of the over 11,000 applicants had superb qualifications, but when NASA announced their final choice on July 19, 1985, it was the 36 year old native Bostonian and mother of two they selected. She took a leave of absence from her teaching job that fall to train for the mission, which was scheduled for launch in January of the following year.
Life isn't fair. The Challenger lifted off at 11:38 EST on January 28, 1986. Seventy three seconds later the space shuttle exploded. Astronaut Christa McAuliffe and her six crewmates all perished in the blast.
The Challenger disaster snuffed out the lives of seven of America's best and brightest, stunning the nation and leaving gaping holes in the lives of the grief-stricken families and friends of the crew members. Christa McAuliffe was 37 years old when she died. She didn't get the chance to see Scott and Caroline grow to adulthood, or to celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary, or to pursue any number of other goals that a person of her caliber might well have achieved.
What might she have attained had her life not concluded prematurely? That's no easier to answer than the same question regarding others, famous and ordinary, whose lives concluded prematurely. How would American and world history be different if 1960's assassination victims John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr. were still alive today at ages 91, 83, 83, and 79, respectively? The list of potential impact makers who died prematurely is infinite. How much more might humanitarians like Minnesota senator Paul Wellstone, Missouri governor Mel Carnahan, baseball star Roberto Clemente, and singer John Denver have accomplished had each not stepped onto a doomed airplane? How improved might society be today had disease not claimed both Christopher Reeve at age 52 and his wife Dana at 45? Imagine the potential contributions of the articulate and thoughtful pro football star Pat Tillman, who turned down a seven figure salary in favor of joining the War on Terror, only to be killed in Afghanistan by his own troops in a tragic "friendly fire" accident.
How would 84 year old Marilyn Monroe, 77 year old James Dean, 67 year old John Lennon, his 65 year old pal George Harrison, and 65 year old Jimi Hendrix be perceived if they were still on the scene today? Which (if any) of them would enjoy the iconic status they achieved thanks to the combination of uncommon talent, significant accomplishment at a young age, and an early death?
Sports aficionados can only guess what athletes like Ernie Davis, Thurman Munson, Reggie Lewis, Len Bias, and Pelle Lindbergh might have ultimately done, both in their chosen sports and then as citizens once their playing days had ended, had each not suffered an untimely demise. The same goes for fans of entertainers like Heath Ledger, Tupac Shakur, River Phoenix, Aliyah, and Selena, none of whom lived past age 28.
Any formal ceremonies in Framingham, Concord, or anywhere else marking Christa McAuliffe's birthday today ought to be celebrations of her remarkable life rather than somber memorial services mourning her tragic death.
Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe's exceptional life and its unexpected, untimely conclusion should inspire each of us to use every moment of our lives as positively and efficiently as possible. Younger Americans are constantly urged by well-intentioned parents, teachers, advisors, and friends to plan for the future, but Christa McAuliffe's memorable, unique and all-too-short life serves as a reminder that no one is guaranteed any additional day or days on Earth beyond this one.
Andy YoungReturn to main page
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