Leaving ” Space” for Good Luck Traditions

Dear Reader:

I just happened to catch the last few minutes of the evening news Friday night with Lester Holt-he was saying how history was about to be made Monday morning with the first female launch director for NASA’s Exploration-first space launch system rocket and its Orion Spacecraft Monday August 29 at approximately 8:33 am.

He then introduced her as the woman who grew up in a small town in South Carolina-( Gaffney) and she was a Clemson University 1988 graduate. She would be saying the famous words… ” Go for Launch!”

Her name? ” Charlie” Blackwell Thompson.

This amazing feat started when she was a senior at Clemson majoring in engineering-she took a tour of the ” firing room” and was amazed at the team work at Kennedy Center. Looking around she could count the women on the fingers of one hand… and she desperately wanted to be one of them.

( As The character Aaron Burr portrayed she, too, wanted to be in the ” room where it happens!”) And she did it! ” Charlie” ‘s first thought after her senior tour was” How do I get a spot in this room?” Today she repeats…to herself… ” What a blessing!”

Every NASA Launch director has their own launch traditions-certain things they wear, good luck items they make sure get placed into a pocket. Charlie wears her Clemson ‘ 88 lanyard-her pockets are packed with tangible reminders of her kids.

Even as a little girl (3 or 4) her daughter picked up on ” Mommy’s” nervousness over the weather-always praying for no rain. So before one launch she gave her mom a little plastic ring with an umbrella on it from a bubblegum machine… telling her mother…” ” Maybe it will keep the rain away.” Sure enough… rain had been predicted the day of the launch but the clouds disappeared, the skies cleared and everything went smoothly.

Today Charlie wears the ring on her pinkie for every launch! She also puts a lucky coin in her pocket, wears a pin that spells ” Mom” and a note that says ” Good Luck!”

Yesterday was jammed packed! I went to Rutledge’s first football games of the season-they won big and I sweated heavily… so hot-what saved was a fan a sweet Samaritan gave me to use!

Go Coach Dingle and quarterback Rutledge!

Eloise learned how to pull her hair back with a scrunchy all by herself! So proud!

Left the Dingles and headed over to the Turners-Jakie was in a youth fishing tournament -he had so much fun-then we met Tommy and Kaitlyn for supper and Tommy helped Jake get ready for his introduction to golf practices!

I must admit I was exhausted returning home last evening but what a beautiful drive to end the day.

So until tomorrow… Make the most of everyday and surround yourself with those you love ❤️!!!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”

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