Westlake in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Astronaut Robert Franklyn Overmyer

Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 6, 2019

1. Astronaut Robert Franklyn Overmyer Marker, side one

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Marine Colonel Robert F. Overmyer was born July 14, 1936 in Lorain, but always considered Westlake, where his family had lived since 1941, to be his hometown. He graduated from Westlake High School in 1954. After earning a bachelor’s degree in physics from Baldwin Wallace College in 1957, he entered active duty in the Marine Corps in 1958. He completed Navy flight training and was assigned to Marine Attack Squadron 214 in 1959. Overmyer logged over 7,500 flight hours, with more than 6,000 of those in jet aircraft. After earning a master’s degree in aeronautics from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1964, he was chosen as an astronaut for the USAF Manned Orbiting Laboratory Program in 1966.

Overmyer was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1969 and was a member of the Apollo 17 support crew in 1972. He piloted the space shuttle Columbia during mission STS-5, the first fully-functional flight of the Shuttle Transportation System. It was launched from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on November 11, 1982. In 1985, he commanded the shuttle Challenger during STS 51-B, the Spacelab-3 mission. Overmyer later served

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on the investigative team to determine the cause of the 1986 Challenger disaster, after which he retired from NASA and the Marines. He lost his life on March 22, 1996 in the crash of an experimental aircraft he was testing near Duluth, Minnesota. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Erected 2014 by the Westlake Historical Society, the Stanton-Pfister family, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 118-18.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical date for this entry is March 22, 1996.

Location. 41° 27.967′ N, 81° 53.071′ W. Marker is in Westlake, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County. Marker is on Roman Lane west of Clauge Road and North of Hilliard Boulevard, on the right when traveling west. It is at the gazebo in sight of the Clauge Family Homestead. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1099 Clague Rd, Westlake OH 44145, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Clague Family Homestead (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of Colonel John Bradstreet's Disaster (approx. 1.4 miles away); Calhoon Memorial Park (approx. 2.4 miles away); Bain Park Cabin (approx. 2.4 miles

Astronaut Robert Franklyn Overmyer Marker, side two image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 6, 2019

2. Astronaut Robert Franklyn Overmyer Marker, side two

away); Jack Miner (approx. 2½ miles away); Cowan Pottery (approx. 2.6 miles away); Rockport Cemetery of Pioneer Days (approx. 2.7 miles away); a different marker also named Calhoon Memorial Park (approx. 2.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Westlake.

Also see . . .
1. Wikipedia entry for Robert F. Overmyer. “Overmyer was the pilot for STS-5, the first fully operational flight of the shuttle program, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on November 11, 1982. He was accompanied by spacecraft commander Vance D. Brand and two mission specialists, Joseph P. Allen and William B. Lenoir. STS-5, the first mission with a four-man crew, clearly demonstrated the shuttle as fully operational by the successful first deployment of two commercial communications satellites from the orbiter’s payload bay. The mission marked the first use of the Payload Assist Module (PAM-D) and its new ejection system. Numerous flight tests were performed throughout the mission to document shuttle performance during launch, boost, orbit, atmospheric entry and landing phases.” (Submitted on May 25, 2019.)

2. Wikipedia entry for space Shuttle STS-5 mission

Astronaut Robert Franklyn Overmyer Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 6, 2019

3. Astronaut Robert Franklyn Overmyer Marker

In the distance is the Clague Family Homestead.

. “Columbia launched on schedule from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) at 7:19 am EST, 11 November 1982. The shuttle carried a crew of four – the largest spacecraft crew up to that time – and the first two commercial communications satellites to be flown aboard a shuttle.” (Submitted on May 25, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.)

Robert Franklyn Overmyer (1936–1996) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 6, 2019

4. Robert Franklyn Overmyer (1936–1996)

Close up of photo embedded in the historical marker.

STS-5 Pilot Overmyer Behind the Pilot’s Seat image. Click for full size.

NASA photograph via Wikipedia Commons, November 1982

5. STS-5 Pilot Overmyer Behind the Pilot’s Seat

In space on the flight deck of the Space Shuttle Columbia.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 29, 2019. It was originally submitted on May 25, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 424 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 25, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.