Portage in Kalamazoo County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Gregory B. Jarvis and Roger B. Chaffee Memorial
Gregory B. Jarvis
August 24, 1944
January 28, 1986
Born in Detroit Michigan, Payload Specialist, Gregory Jarvis and his crew members, Ellison Onizuka, Michael Smith, Christa McAuliffe, Francis Scobee, Ronald McNair and Judith Resnick lost their lives on January 28, 1986. Shortly after launch from Cape Kennedy, Florida, an explosion consumed their Challenger space shuttle.
Roger B. Chaffee
February 15, 1935
January 27, 1967
Born in Grand Rapids Michigan, Lt. Commander U.S.N. Roger Chaffee and fellow astronauts Gus Grissom and Ed White lost their lives on January 27, 1967, at Cape Kennedy, Florida. A flash fire consumed their Apollo spacecraft during a full scale simulation in preparation for the scheduled launch on their Apollo mission.
Oh, I have slipped
The surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies
On laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed.
And joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds—
And done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of—
Wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence.
Hov'ring there
I've chased the shouting wind
Along and flung
My eager craft
Through footless halls of air,
Up, up the long delirious
Burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights
With easy grace,
Where never lark,
Or even eagle, flew;
And, while with silent,
Lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity
Of space,
Put out my hand,
And touched the face of God.
Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1910.
Location. 42° 13.734′ N, 85° 33.316′ W. Marker is in Portage, Michigan, in Kalamazoo County. Marker can be reached from Portage Road south of E. Milham Avenue. Marker is located at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo near the entrance to the picnic pavilion. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6151 Portage Road, Portage MI 49002, 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. For A Pal (a few steps from this marker); Indian Fields (approx. 0.8 miles away); Stuart Manor (approx. 2 miles away); District No. 8 Schoolhouse (approx. 2 miles away); Portage District No. 8 School (approx. 2 miles away); Portage Grain Elevator / Feed Mill (approx. 2 miles away); Hayloft Theatre (approx. 2.1 miles away); Central Cemetery Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Portage.
Also see . . .
1. Gregory Jarvis - Challenger Memorial on Sea and Sky. (Submitted on September 26, 2013.)
2. Roger Chaffee Biography - NASA History. (Submitted on September 26, 2013.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. This page has been viewed 635 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 26, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas.