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30 Facts About Challenger Astronaut, Ronald McNair

Tim Flight December 28, 2019 20 min

Ronald McNair - Dr. Ronald McNair — McNair on board the Challenger, 1984. Berkeley

7. McNair was buried in Lake City

More than 1000 people attended a memorial for Ronald in Lake City, days after the Challenger tragedy. On May 18, 1986, the McNair family buried Ronald at the church in Lake City he attended as a child. After his long journey, Lake City’s greatest hero came home for good. 300+ people attended the funeral, and the procession reached half a mile in length. His tomb reads, ‘I urge you to go forth with the knowledge that you are better than good enough’. This is an inspirational quote from Ronald’s 1984 commencement address to the University of South Carolina.

Written by

Tim Flight

I am a freelance historical and literary writer based in West Yorkshire, UK. I read for a funded PhD in English at the University of Oxford (Magdalen College) and graduated in 2016. I am a former lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. My publications include peer-reviewed articles in academic publications, and pieces in mainstream magazines such as History Today and Fortean Times. For more information, please see www.drflight.co.uk