Just before she handed the George H.W. Bush Award to Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Dr. June Scobee Rodgers told the crowd gathered for the Challenger Center for Space Science Education (Challenger Center) conference at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, “This is an eagle and we are the wind beneath her wings.”
George H. W. Bush Award: from left, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Dr. June Scobee Rodgers, Dr. Lance Bush, president and CEO, Challenger Center
Sullivan is the first American woman to walk in space and the current assistant secretary of commerce for environmental observation and predication, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She is the third recipient of the award, presented to “an individual who demonstrates a commitment to Challenger Center and to keeping the spirit of education as part of the NASA space program alive.”
She was at the table—the kitchen table—of Scobee Rodgers when a small group dreamed of how the Challenger Center would lift hands-on learning to a new level, and how it would honor the seven crew members who died in 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger/STS-51L exploded just after liftoff. Scobee Rodgers is the widow of Challenger Space Shuttle Commander Dick Scobee and founder of Challenger Center for Space Science Education.
With just a “scribble pad and paper” between them, Sullivan recalled their desire to “touch everyone” and energize math and science education.
Legacy Awards: from left, Jim Berry, Ellsworth McKee, Dr. Lance Bush, Sharon McKee, Zan Guerry, Dr. June Scobee Rodgers, John Guerry, Hardwick Caldwell, Sue Culpepper, Dr. Fred Obear, Les Roddy
“June watched how astronauts go about learning, with purpose-driven eagerness,” Sullivan explained. The group wanted to inspire “the purposeful hunger to learn.”
With architectural proposals reaching the rafters of Scobee Rodgers’ home, the group decided not to build one building, but rather a network to inspire school children and adults. Schools, college campuses and other community partners were part of the plan. Sullivan said they wanted to “run new music through the existing speakers.”
Mission accomplished.
In 1988, the first Challenger Center opened in Houston. Today, there are 48 Learning Centers around the globe, including Challenger Center at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, established in 1994 as well as facilities in Canada, South Korea and the United Kingdom. More than 4 million students have actively participated at the Centers as they have used equipment, solved problems and became one with the space experience.
Challenger Center representatives presented Dr. June Scobee Rogers with the Chairman’s Award. Scobee Rodgers is pictured third from left.
She says Challenger Center offers “running room” for kids like that.
“The Challenger Center model was wildly ahead of its time. What is cavalierly called distance learning today—we imagined it,” Sullivan said.
Legacy Awards and Chairman’s Award
This year, Challenger Center introduced the newly established Legacy Award. Presented by Dr. June
Scobee Rodgers, this award recognizes individuals and organizations local to the conference location.
Awardees were integral in the creation of the UTC Challenger Learning Center and supportive of Challenger Center as a whole. Representative of Chattanooga, this year’s Legacy Award winners include Jim Berry, CEO, Republic Parking System; Hardwick Caldwell; John and Zan Guerry; Clarence E. Harris Foundation, Inc.; Ellsworth and Sharon McKee of McKee Foods Corporation; Dr. Fred Obear, former chancellor, UTC; and SunTrust Bank.
The Chairman’s Award was presented to Dr. June Scobee Rodgers from Challenger Center for her extraordinary contributions. Challenger Center Chairman, Dr. Scott Parazynski, presented the award.
