Reaching Lifelong Goals as a Nontraditional Student

The NASM on the National Mall was too important to me for only one blog posting.   Continuing with the “Legend, Memory and Great War in the Air gallery, we have a SPAD XIII that actually saw service in Europe during WWI.   Many of the SPADs on display are ex-training aircraft and did not see combat.   The Smithsonian’s Smith IV was assigned to the 22nd Aero Pursuit Squadron of the U.S. Army Air Service, which was taking part in the Saint-Mihiel offensive. The aircraft entered combat during this campaign, and by the end of the war six victories had been scored in it by various pilots.   This is significant.  There are still small bullet hole patches on the wings from combat.  The restoration of this aircraft in the 80s retained these battle scars.   I had to move on, as much as I wanted to spend more time with my WWI aircraft, history marches forward. There were some types from WWII that  are not in most Air Museums, of note was the Italian Macchi C.202 fighter.   This one was a treat, built models of them, never seen one in person.  Suspended from the ceiling of the WWII gallery it was in fine company with a Messerschmitt, Spitfire, Zero and Mustang.    The collection of WWII aircraft features some of the more well-known aircraft and they are staples at many air museums around the country.    This is not to say they are “common”, any aircraft from WWII is a significant display.   This museum is kind of sensory overload for a history nut, so I had to focus, focus, focus.   The collection from the Navy was just as enjoyable, with aircraft spanning the periods from the 30s all the way to current jets.   The gallery is set up to resemble a aircraft carrier and it’s interior spaces were used for additional displays.   Important civil aircraft and record breakers are also on display.   Hanging above the main welcome gallery is the Spirit of St. Louis, again a very moving experience for me to behold.  There are two main sections to the NASM, one with aircraft and the other, spacecraft.   I will move on to this side of the museum now and leave the best experience for last.    The artifacts on display from the NASA moon shots was very interesting, from large items like the Saturn V booster engines (extremely huge!!) to space candy, M&Ms that traveled in space as astronaut treats.    Significant artifacts that really hit home with me included John Glenn’s original space suit, Yuri Gagarin’s CCCP spacesuit and the moon suite from Apollo 15 that still had MOON DUST on the boots.   I was reliving my youth by actually seeing the actual items that had traveled into space as I watched on our black and white TV in the 60s.

The Lunar Excursion Module they have on display was actually slated to go into space on Apollo 5, but the success of the LM1 mission cancelled this flight and this spacecraft was used as a training vehicle.   The two astronauts coming down the ladder give the feel of what it was like back in 1969 when Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon.   This event in history is burned into my childhood memories as we watched in awe as the first steps on the moon were broadcast in the grainy, black and white video of the day.

I have been an aviation history buff most of my life.   My recent specialization in early aviation (WWI) has been a big part of my research over the past 20 years.   The goal of seeing the National Air Space Museum has been on my list since I was a child.   For the last 40 years I have dreamed of reaching this lifelong goal.   If it not for my wonderful wife, who seems to be quite invested in my dreams and goals, this dream vacation would never have happened.   Although my primary interest is WWI, walking into the Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age Gallery hit me in a big way.   To think that I was standing before the actual Wright Flyer, the artifact that meant the most to me in this facility was just too  moving for me to keep my composure.   It all just came over me at once, my new life as a Non Traditional College Student, my goal of becoming a Historian, reaching a lifelong goal of being at the NASM and being in front of the actual origin of my passion.  Patty left me on my own, she was enjoying reading the well presented displays and being a supportive wife.   I tried not to be too obvious, but I just lost it.   I stood before the flyer, weeping, my heart bursting from my chest with emotion.   Of all the sights I was enjoying on this vacation, this one was special, very special.

After gathering myself together, I was able to document this aircraft photographically.   The NASM display of the Wright flyer is really spectacular.   The condition of the aircraft has been maintained since  it was presented to the Smithsonian from the Estate of Orville Wright.   It was recovered in 1927  under supervision by Orville Wright and again in 1985.   The original fabric which covered the wings on that day in December 1903 is on display.   The unbleached muslin was not coated with dope to save weight.

Just a piece of white cloth, folded up in a glass case, it does not seem like a big deal…   Looking at things through my new eyes as an Aviation Historian and a History Major gives new meaning to even the most mundane artifacts on display in museums.   Just some old cloth, to an airplane nut, this is like the Shroud of Turin!   My experience at the National Air and Space Museum was the highpoint of my History Major’s Dream Vacation.   I clicked off the #2 item on the Bucket List of places to go before I die.   Not for the faint  of heart, this museum is truly a life changing experience…if you are an aviation fanatic like me.

Tomorrow’s post changes directions, trains and ships, two more of my passions and bucket list items achieved.

The oldest continuously operating airport in the WORLD is in College, Park Maryland.  Founded by Wilbur Wright in 1909 when he came to give flying instruction to the US Army’s first military aviators.   The College Park Air Museum is a wonderful facility that is partnered with the National Air Space Museum.   They have a great little collection of civil aircraft and some replicas of the first planes that were used for the US Military.   Another high point of this museum is its child friendly exhibits.   My niece, Natalie who is 3 had a wonderful time there while her Uncle Mike was drooling over the airplanes.   She had a great time, they have pilot uniforms and hats for the kids to try on, and a cool exhibit (right) that floated balls in a jet stream.   All of the photographs in these posts can be clicked on for a larger look.   Be sure and check out my niece, she is a cutie!!  Many of the aircraft on display are from the golden age of aviation and have ties to this old airfield.   One special exhibit that I found fascinating was an unrestored original experimental Berliner Helicopter from 1924 (above left).    The Berliner Helicopter, on loan from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, is the culmination of the experiments in vertical flight by Emile Berliner and his son Henry. On February 23, 1924, this helicopter achieved an altitude of 15 feet (at College Park Airport) with a maneuvering radius of 150 feet, while maintaining a speed of about 40 mph. This flight, in front of U.S. Navy officials and media, was acclaimed as the first controlled helicopter flight. The collection also contains some wonderful replicas of early (1909-1911) aircraft that were used to train the first military aviators in the USA.

This 1932 Monocoupe 110 is typical of the popular civil aircraft that frequented the airport during the 30s and 40s.   This aircraft is suspended from the ceiling and makes for a colorful display.   The museum has a number of these private planes from the mid-century, really a fun time for an aviation buff.   I also was very impressed with a small-scale diorama of the College park aerodrome circa 1911, the scale was about 1:87 (HO railroad scale) and the model work was superb!  The photo at the right shows a small section of the diorama, click to see the detail!

At the end of our visit to the Air Museum we were treated to a tour of my Brother in Law Joe’s laboratory on the University of Maryland campus.   Joe is doing his post doctoral work at the U of M and his field of study is in evolutionary genetics as a Biochemist.   Way over my head, he is a brilliant individual.   The Terps, for Terrapins have a claim to fame that I found wonderful.   Muppet founder Jim Henson was an alumnus of this university.   So I would suppose that Kermit the Frog is as well.   They have a statue of Kermit and Jim Henson on campus by their memorial union.  Natalie likes Kermit, and enjoys visiting this statue when she is on Daddy’s campus.

All in all, Labor Day 2010 was quite wonderful.   The whole family had a wonderful time and Aunt Patty was able to get some real quality time with her niece as well.   With the “all about me” nature of our vacation schedule of going to museums, ships, trains etc. it was nice to spend a day just having fun and visiting family.   This was of course the main purpose of our vacation, family time with Patty’s brother and sister.  Tomorrow we will visit my über bucket list item….the National Air and Space Museum on the Capitol Mall of Washington, DC.

It has been quite an interesting first two weeks of Fall Term here at Oregon State University.   I have been very bad about posting to this Non Traditional Student Blog over the Summer break, I will endeavor to remedy this over the next few days.   Oregon State University has a great claim to fame with the collection of Dr. Linus Pauling (1901-1994) Papers.   As part of my Historian’s Craft course this term we were given a tour of the collection today.   We learned about the life of Linus Pauling, the only recipient in history of TWO individual Nobel Prizes and an alumnus of OSU.  To actually hold in my hands the Nobel Peace Prize medal was an experience I will not soon forget.   The “rush” of history came over me as I examined this three-inch medallion worth about $20,000 (lots of gold, it was heavy).   We then were treated to a backroom tour of the collection where we held a letter to Dr. Pauling signed by Albert Einstein, a box of letters from all of the Kennedy’s and his collection of molecular models he used in teaching.   The Oregon State Special Collections also hold the papers of numerous other famous scientists and authors.   A real treat was access to the rare book vault with books dating back to 1470!  These were hand written manuscripts, Guttenburg had not printed his Bible yet!    The holdings also include two 4000 year old clay tablets with early Sumarian writing, Wow!!   Needless to say, I was moved  by this class session deeply.   I have not had to occasion to be brought to tears by a college class session to date as a Non Traditional Student, today was a definite first.  This collection is available for research to everyone.   Even though this tour was special for our class, anyone has access to these artifacts…they only need to come to Corvallis Oregon to view them.   The college course that I am taking is basically, “the history of History”.    It is specifically designed to teach new historians about the profession.   We are focusing on the American Revolution, my professor’s specialty, but the concepts are universal to Historiography.  My next two years in college are all going to be upper division classes such as this.   I am in History Heaven!!   Granted, the reading load for my Eastern Asia History class and this Historian’s Craft class is HUGE!!    I have to keep telling myself, if you didn’t want to do a lot of reading, you should have considered something simple like brain surgery or astrophysics!   I am also into my second year of German.   By taking an entire year of German during the Summer Term,  I have been through the initiation by fire and one term at a time will be a welcome change.

During the Summer Break, my wife and I traveled to the East Coast to visit family.   Of course, this was another major event in my life as I was able to click off many “bucket list” items in my “places to see before I die” goals.   This blog has always been about Reaching Lifelong Goals, and I did achieve a number of them on this trip.   Over the next few blog posts, I will chronicle my History Vacation.   I came back with over 1600 digital images of planes, trains and automobiles that I was able to see.   This was made possible by my WONDERFUL WIFE, who I owe so much of this experience to.   I saw history through my new eyes as a History Major and a future Historian, the experience was grand!!    This photo is of me at the wheel of the USS Constellation, in Baltimore harbor, with tears of the joy of reaching a lifelong goal in my eyes.    Stay tuned…

It has been a crazy summer!!   I am taking 16 credits with a Math class and a full year of German.   We just finished our second “term” this Summer.    It works out to about a term (GER111, GER112, GER113) every 12 days.   I received a B+ for my German 111 and a “shaky” B for my second term.   I’ll have to pick up my game and pull an A for the final term if I want to have anything like an acceptable GPA this summer (my standards are a little high, I get upset with anything less than a 4.00)   My math class is the final requirement for my baccalaureate core and I will be getting an A in this class.   Summer term is kind of relaxed in other ways, lots of open space in the library, no big crowds in the book store, and parking availability!    The campus of Oregon State University is quite beautiful with wonderful trees and lots of green areas.   It is a pleasure to spend my days just walking around “My” campus.   I get a little misty eyed, realizing this experience is a culmination of a life long goal.   I do have some free time to walk around and just enjoy the college experience that has been 35 years delayed.   Most of my day is spent in the OSU Valley Library.   My floor is the 6th, where all of the wonderful collection of history books reside.   I will be spending a lot of time digging through the racks, browsing  and researching History projects.   With the pace of keeping up with German lessons, I have tried to limit myself to only a couple of sessions a week.

The whirlwind pace of German in Summer Term is a real challenge, but I can recommend this type of total committment to a language first year if you can swing it.   I am packing a lot of information into this old non traditional student head, it is nearly full, not much more room left!   When you start dreaming about conjugating verbs and vocab tests, it must be a sign of information overload…   One benefit of this type of class schedule is that you really get to put learning skills to work in a major way.    Starting in the fall, I’ll be heading into second year German, only taking one section per term.   I will have to shift gears and make sure to study a little German every day and not put the homework off til the night before a class.

One of the buildings on campus that I will be spending many hours in is Kidder Hall, which is located across the Quad from the Valley Library.   This facility is one of the older buildings on campus and it has a “vintage college” feel to it.   I am taking in all of the experiences of being in college with an appreciation of what I missed so many years ago.   Even the creaking floors and windows excite me!  Being a non traditional student is more to me than just returning to school.   It has become a life changing experience, and I am trying to get every last drop out of it.   Older students returning to college is the overall theme of Reaching Lifelong Goals.com, but I’m finding the experience to be so much more than that.

Ich muss mich verrückt!!   As a Nontraditional Student, I always set high expectations for myself.   Taking a full year of German in the space of one Summer Term may just test this theory.  Hence, the title of this post which translates to German class is not impossible!!  Here it is, only Thursday, 4 days into the class and we had our first exam this morning.  I felt pretty good about my results, but results will be in tomorrow.  The second day of class had a vocab quiz and already the second vocab quiz is tomorrow!   Herr Stehr, my instructor wrote the textbook and program we are using.  It is an award-winning language course and it’s methods are quite innovative.  Our instructor teaches the rules about German sentence structure and grammar, not just rote memorization.   It is a little daunting in such a fast paced setting as Summer session, but the total immersion factor is a plus.  My wife and I drill each other (her drilling me is more accurate, really…) on the way to campus every morning.  I’m not sure that I would be making this kind of progress alone.   The supportive spouse actually taking a class with the non trad is definitely not the norm, so I am truly blessed.  In fact, we are both Non Traditional Students.  My wife has already graduated from Oregon State University and is a CPA, so she really is going out of her way to support her non trad hubby.   Non Traditional Students need all the family support they can get.  I’m actually getting extra special support!  I’ll have to ask Herr Stehr how to say “non trad” in German…  Ich muss mich verrückt translates to:  I MUST BE CRAZY!!

Time to study more German Vocab for tomorrow’s test now.  Tschüss!!