Col. Hadfield…Someone to Look Up To
.html)
5 year old Ryan watches in wonderment as Colonel Hadfield signs a book – photos 250News
Prince George, B.C.- Colonel Chris Hadfield’s visit to Prince George on the weekend is being considered by many to have been “out of this world”.
It started with a book signing at Exploration Place on Saturday morning. People lined up hours in advance for the opportunity to meet Colonel Hadfield.
“He taught a lot of young people that they can do anything they can dream” says Exploration Place CEO Tracy Calogheros. When asked what she thought the impact of his visit would be, Calogheros said she was still trying to put that into words, but said it was amazing to see Col. Hadfield connect with a young autistic boy, and see a young woman in tears as she waited to meet her hero, "It reminded me of the footage of the teenaged girls who were waiting to see the Beatles." The impact his visit will have on youth in Prince George may not be measured today, but Calogheros says he is a role model for youth, showing them what they can accomplish " Science is cool and it can change the world if you make it understandable and human… He does that naturally… Its why we built the Museum and why we work so hard every single day to bring the world to Prince George and Prince George to the world. Colonel Hadfield's visit will be making cosmic waves in our community for a very long time to come."
.html)
As 250 News reported on the weekend, Colonel Hadfield took the time to relate to young people, showing them photos of himself at their age, "That was me when I was five, just like you”. ( photo at right)
The message he delivered to the Dr. Bob Ewert Memorial Dinner and Lecture was the same theme, “follow your dream.”
"It was the best keynote address I have ever heard" says Calogheros, "And I have heard a lot of them."
The dinner and lecture is an annual fund raising event for the Northern Medical Program Trust, a fund which assists those who are studying medicine at UNBC.
Dr. Bert Kelly who is with the Northern Medical Society of BC, organizers of the event, say this was the most successful dinner/lecture event so far. “There were more than a thousand people in attendance” says Dr. Kelly.
He described Col. Hadfield as “masterful, absolutely charming, informative, entertaining, and a shining example to our youth.”
Hadfield’s address talked about how, at the age of 9, he knew he wanted to follow in the footsteps of American Astronaut Neil Armstrong, but with no “space program” in Canada he wasn’t sure how to reach his goal. He laid out a path and he kept working on the steps necessary to reach his goal. Col. Hadfield’s determination would result in him becoming the first Canadian Astronaut to do a space walk, and he would be the Commander of the International Space Station.
At the end of it all, Colonel Hadfield posted a photo of himself with his RCMP escorts on his facebook page, along with this comment "Thanks, gentlemen, for taking such good care of me, Prince George, and everyone else. Class."
Comments
That’s my son! His name is Jure, not Ryan :)
Furthermore, thank you to all those involved in organizing such a meeting. Thank you Commander!
He is a wonderful inspiration to young and older alike. Thankyou to all involved.
What an incredible day! That’s one of my favourite moments so far at The Exploration Place. Wow. I have the coolest job in the world and the best team in town! My crew made that day into an organised, accessible event that will long be remembered. Nice work gang with an extra nod to Amanda Tisseur for her stellar planning (pun intended).
Well, I think his career now is about reflections of what he accomplished.
I think he is enjoying the popularity as well.
Top notch human, sacrificed so much to get to do what he has done. Makes me proud that he is Canadian.
Chris Hadfield you are such a Canadian hero, so I am going to advocate that you keep your job.
“In recent months, the Canadian Space Agency has faced budget cuts and an aerospace review that said it was suffering from “ad hocery” in government funding and planning.
It’s still unclear how this will affect Canada’s human spaceflight program. The agency remains committed to International Space Station work until at least 2020, which keeps the door open for two trainees awaiting flights to the orbital laboratory. But as the CSA faces a large drop in funding between 2013 and 2015, agency president Steve MacLean has declined to comment on where cuts could fall.”
http://www.space.com/19556-canadian-human-spaceflight-future.html
Come on Harper Government, have a heart, let Chris Hadfield keep his job!
I have nothing against Chris Hadfield, but that being said, what are we getting out of sending people into space, considering the money that goes into it?
NASA is a far worse example. Billions and billions of dollars spent…
Johnny Belt, there is never any direct benefits of doing anything cutting edge.
What was the benefit of sending a man to moon. What is the benefit of sending something to Mars. What we gain from these expedition is the pheriphial technonlogy that was developed to obtain these goals.
If we did not push our limits, we would still be flowing a horse with a plow. That is why we need these programs.
BeingHuman, this is a nice story, an inspirational story! Thanks for trying to make it a negative one!
Turn positive into negative! Post a link or two! Bash Harper!
After reading this post and your earlier ones on the “Protesters Battle” story, I’m beginning to wonder if your alter ego is “Peeps”!
Well most of the time I cant agree with JB but I have to agree with him on the money wasted on space programs. Why do we need all this technology? What purpose does it serve. Our young generation has a big problem when it comes to use this technology.
Our daughter is up a tree because her kids have forgotten that there is a big world out there that is very interesting without their cell phones.
We spend d billions on fairy idea and we are number two when it comes to child poverty.
And further more my Grandpa never walked behind his plow. He had a seat to ride on and his wheat crop gave his family a good life style. What more could you want. And they were wonderful happy people.
Cheers
HeSpoke: “What we gain from these expedition is the pheriphial technonlogy that was developed to obtain these goals. “
Great. Give me an example of something that’s benefitted humankind that would not have occurred without a space program.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for pushing limits, but I doubt the average person even knows what NASA stands for, or could name a current astronaut (besides Chris Hadfield) without internet help.
Memory foam, LED, infra red thermometer, improved freeze drying of food, advancement in computer science.
Standing up for a hero like Chris Hatfield and our Canada Space Agency, by speaking out publically against a 20% funding cut to the CSA over three years, is one of the most positive and patriotic things a Canadian can do! The biggest threat to Canadaâs Space Program is Prime Minister Stephen Harper and this Conservative Government⦠wordâ¦
Comments for this article are closed.