Roger B. Chaffee Honored in Grand Rapids, Thanks to Lowell Man

With much fanfare and excitement, a statue of astronaut Roger B. Chaffee was unveiled in front of the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum on Saturday.

It was a fitting tribute for one of the city’s native sons who had gone on to incredible heights in the Navy and NASA before his life was tragically cut short during a fire that engulfed the Apollo 1 command module during a preflight test in 1967. However, the statue may never have become a reality if not for the commitment of one Lowell man.

Dave Thompson, the former longtime commander of the Lowell post of The American Legion, was instrumental in making sure Chaffee was properly honored by the City of Grand Rapids. For Thompson, the project hasn’t just been about honoring a pioneer in space exploration but also about remembering a former classmate.

From Military Museum to Chaffee Statue

 

Thompson has long been part of The Michigan Military Preservation Society, a non-profit created by local World War II and Korean War veterans about 20 years ago.

Over the years, the group considered various ways to preserve and promote the legacy of local veterans. For a period of time, it was thought that maybe a military museum might be best way to do that, and the group eyed the possibility of using a hangar at the Gerald R. Ford Airport for that purpose.

However, the recession of 2001 made it difficult to pursue those plans. Then, age caught up with many of the society’s members, and their numbers dwindled until only three men remained. Along with Thompson, Neil “Bud” Vierson and Dan Pfeiffer are the final members of The Michigan Military Preservation Society.

While developing a museum became impractical, the group did compile oral histories from local veterans and send those to the Library of Congress. After that, the group was left with some money in the bank and wanted to complete a final project before the society dissolves for good. They decided it was time that the City of Grand Rapids had a statue of Roger B. Chaffee.

Honoring a Hero and Friend

Roger B. Chaffee isn’t a historical figure to Thompson. He was a friend. “Roger was a classmate of mine, and we flew in the Navy together,” Thompson says.

Chaffee graduated with the Class of 1952 from Central High School in Grand Rapids while Thompson was in the Class of 1953. Those two grades are forever linked thanks to a number of marriages and friendships between graduates of the two classes, and Central High School was well-represented during Saturday’s event.

On a shuttle bus to the unveiling ceremony, classmates reminisced about where they were when they heard the news about Roger’s death in the fire. Later, before a reception, people traded memories of Roger as the smart, kind and good-looking boy in their class.

“Today, we are here to recognize an old friend,” Thompson told the crowd at the start of the ceremony, “A classmate, a colleague, a shipmate.” While younger members of the audience may have born well after Chaffee’s untimely death in 1967, he was more than a name in a history book for many in attendance.

Scouts, Sea Chanters, an Astronaut and More

Both the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts were on hand to help with the unveiling ceremony.

These included Boy Scout Troop 215 which was both Roger B. Chaffee’s troop as well as that of former President Gerald R. Ford. Meanwhile, Girl Scout Troop 4129 out of Lowell set 12 girls to help pass out water and witness the momentous occasion.

The Sea Chanters, the official chorus of the U.S. Navy, were there as well. The group typically performs in the Washington D.C. area so it was a special treat for the West Michigan crowd to hear them sing The National Anthem, America the Beautiful and other songs.

Martha Chaffee, Roger’s wife, traveled from Santa Fe to be part of the ceremony as did his daughter Sheryl who came from Florida. “From my heart, thank you,” Martha told the audience. “You have no idea what this means to me.” Later, after the unveiling, she remarked about how incredible the likeness of the statue was to her husband.

Astronaut Jack Lousma, another Grand Rapids native, was also present and shared how Chaffee was among the youngest men selected to become an astronaut. “It was a real tribute to him that he was the first selected out of his class,” Lousma said.

“He was not superhuman, not a child of privilege,” said sculptor J. Brett Grill, whose others works include statues of President Gerald R. Ford, First Lady Betty Ford and local businessman and philanthropist Jay VanAndel. “But he was driven to do something amazing and that took him to the center of world history.”

Reflecting What’s Important

Grill added that sculptures are important because they are an expression of a community’s values.

Thanks to the hard work of Thompson and others, the Chaffee statue stands in testament to the importance of courage, exploration and adventure. Or as U.S. Navy Chaplain, Father Patrick Shawn Finn, said during the invocation: “Roger B. Chaffee reminds us to shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

For more about Roger B. Chaffee, you can read his biographical details or a longer history of his accomplishments on the NASA website. Additional photos of the event can be seen on the Lowell’s First Look Flickr account.