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Neal Thompson Luncheon

Author Neal Thompson Speaks at July 2005 Luncheon

Our luncheon speaker for July was Neal Thompson, author of "Light This Candle" a book about pioneer astronaut Alan Shepard. Neal was a reporter for the Baltimore Sun at a time when the Academy's relationship with the press was not the best. He was determined to do his best to try to change that.

Alan Shepard was the first American in space and the fifth to walk on the moon. Alan's Freedom 7 capsule in on display at USNA. Alan was shorter and smaller than most and compensated for that by working harder and being a bit rebellious. Alan was USNA Class of '45 and a class mate of Chapter member Jim Ravenel, who arranged for Neal to speak to the Chapter.

On May 5th, 1961, Alan was sitting in the Freedom 7 capsule ready to make his historic, though short, trip into space. Unfortunately, there were some complications which resulted a delay of nearly four hours. Alan had consumed considerable coffee before suiting up and climbing into the capsule. He expected to lift off, make the trip, and be back within an hour or so. That much coffee four hours later lead to an urgent need for a head break. "No way!" said mission control. Shepard said he couldn't fly without relief. The only way out of this predicament, he said, was to relieve himself in his suit, which he was preparing to do post haste! Mission control, fearing he would get shocked with "fluid" in the suit, shut down power so that his job could be done. With his problem resolved, he was still waiting for problem preventing lift off to be taken care of. He loudly reported to mission control, as follows: "I'm cooler than you guys are. Why don't you fix this little problem and light this candle!" Thus the name of Neal's book.

Many thanks to Neal for relating this great story to us and for signing our copies of the book for us.

The following is some published cover information about the book:
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Neal Thompson's highly acclaimed biography, LIGHT THIS CANDLE: The Life & Times of Alan Shepard was released in paperback by Three Rivers Press.

The paperback contains a new introduction by former NASA flight director Chris Kraft (who calls Shepard "an egotist bent on being first") as well as an endorsement from former president George H.W. Bush, who had been a close friend and neighbor of Shepard's. "Alan Shepard captured the imagination of America perhaps more than any other astronaut," President Bush said. "He was a good man ... and I loved him."

Alan Shepard was also a complicated, mercurial and elusive man who for decades prevented potential biographers from accessing his full, true life story. After Shepard died of leukemia in 1998, Thompson - then a journalist at the Baltimore Sun - spent five years researching this largely overlooked life story. The result is more than the first biography of America's first spaceman, it is the long overdue and inspiring account of a bold American life. Best-selling author Homer Hickam (Rocket Boys and The Ambassador's Son) called Light This Candle "one of the finest books ever written about the space program." And Buzz Bissinger, author of the best-selling Friday Night Lights, has called it "a wonderful and gripping biography. Meticulously reported in the best tradition of David Halberstam (and) written with eloquent grace ... The can't-put-it-down story of a modern swashbuckler."

Thompson overcame many obstacles in his search for Shepard's story. "Shepard was an incredibly complex and enigmatic American figure, but during his life he never allowed many people to get close to him," Thompson said. Shepard was so secretive and wary of others that even his closest of friends claimed that they never felt they really knew the man. "It was only after his death that people felt safe talking about him," Thompson said.

To tell Shepard's story, Thompson relied heavily on his investigative journalism background to obtain never-before-released Navy and NASA documents, such as Shepard's early flying records, as well as a revealing two-inch-thick FBI file, which contains details of Shepard's infidelities and some questionable financial deals. Thompson interviewed scores of Shepard's friends, including astronauts such as John Glenn, Wally Schirra and Gordon Cooper.

Said Thompson: "I'm hoping that with the upcoming return to space of the space shuttle, people will be interested in reading a good story about the early days of the space race and the untold story of a larger-than-life space pioneer." Shepard found himself in a situation similar to that of the upcoming space shuttle crew, which is the first space flight since the 2003 Columbia tragedy. In 1971, Shepard commanded Apollo 14, which launched on the heels of the near disaster of the foiled Apollo 13.
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Neal starts his presentation.

Chapter President Steve Frederick '72 presents Neal with his personalized Atlanta Chapter apron.