The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

One of my favorite peopled died this week, and his name was Frederick K. Morris. He was the father of three and grandfather of nine, and my father-in-law since 2016. He died at the age of 85, after a fight against prostate cancer which he battled quite triumphantly for more than 20 years. From the moment I met him in 2011, I knew he was just like me. He loved to travel, enjoyed a great cocktail, was never found without a book, relished oysters, told the best stories, and loved his family. In addition, he had a big head, 95th percentile, just like me. Fred worked for aero-space-manufacturer Hamilton Standard for 40 years, and one of his many jobs was helping to design the NASA space suit, which is still used today. If a new helmet fit Fred’s head, it would fit the head of any astronaut, too. He had fantastic stories about working on the manned-space program, and his condo was filled with NASA treasures, including all the mission patches that went to the moon. A book Fred cherished was Tom Wolfe’s classic “The Right Stuff” about the early U.S. space program. While many saw the movie, the book stands alone representing “New Journalism,” a literary movement in the 1960s and ‘70s that combined journalistic research with fiction writing within reporting of real-events. Wolfe’s book takes us inside the lives of such greats as Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn and Chuck Yeager. In the 1970s, one in four navy pilots died in service. With a statistic like that you might wonder why anyone would pursue a flying career. But the answer is simple: the astronauts were not only dreamers, but also heroes and pioneers. They should be celebrated for their service to our country and space program. Just like the pilots he admired so much, we will honor Fred’s memory forever. We will continue to re-tell his stories, and encourage his grandchildren to carry on his legacy and love of new adventures. To buy this book on Amazon click here.