Saturday, April 13, 2013

Grandpa Hammond: TV Star


A month or two ago, my Grandpa Hammond was watching American Experience on PBS.

The program was about Silicon Valley, and there was a part about the rocket tests conducted by the military after World War II. Grandpa was interested in this subject because he used to launch those rockets.

As he watched the program, he saw a film of a young officer launching a rocket and then leaning forward to look out the window to confirm the launch.

"Hey!" said Grandpa, "I think that was me!"

Sure enough, it was. Grandpa was on TV!

This photo is a screen shot from the program. The video of Grandpa was a good choice: he looks intelligent and focused, which I think accurately represents the attitude and professionalism of the people who conducted the tests.

As an interesting note, one of the rocket launch test sites where Grandpa worked is located in California and can be seen from Jeremy's family's house.