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.
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

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served 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. It is on Roman Lane west of Clauge Road and North of Hilliard Boulevard, on the right when traveling west. The marker stands near the gazebo in sight of the Clauge Family Homestead. A bench stands near the marker and is dedicated to him. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1099 Clague Rd, Westlake OH 44145, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

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

this marker is in Greater Cleveland,

on the Lake Erie Shore,

and in the Western Reserve.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Clague Memorial (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Root (about 500 feet away); Johnson (about 500 feet away); Taylor (about 500 feet away); Porter (about 500 feet away); Crocker (about 500 feet away); Smith (about 500 feet away); Founders' Walk (about 500 feet 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

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.

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. “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.)

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

NASA photograph via Wikipedia Commons, November 1982

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

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

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

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

5. Robert Franklyn Overmyer (1936–1996)

Close up of photo embedded in the historical marker.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 25, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 792 times since then and 43 times this year. Last updated on May 18, 2026, by Lysa Stanton of Westlake, Us. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 25, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.