Though distant, I have an ancestral connection to someone who worked for NASA.
Harold “Hal” Ashley Head, Jr. was born September 10, 1928, in Valdosta, Georgia. His father, Harold Ashley, Head, Sr., was the son of Charles May Head (1862-1914), a Superior Judge for Shasta County, California, and his wife Clara.
Judge Charles Head’s second marriage was to my 2nd cousin 4X removed, Alfreda Eureka “Alpha” Garoutte (1873-1952),
The subject of this essay then, Hal Head, Jr., was my cousin’s step grandson.
Hal Head, Jr. studied at Clemson University and then worked as a mechanical engineer for Brown Engineering on both the Gemini and Apollo programs at Cape Kennedy (its name at the time, later reverted to its original name, Cape Canaveral.)
After leaving his work with NASA, Hal started his own engineering business.
I don’t know anything more about the Head family, but I can only imagine the excitement it must have been to have worked in supporting the early days of space travel in America and the pride Hal must have taken in his association with NASA!
| Written for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge: Week 30-“Free Space.” PROMPT: Basically, this is a “choose your own adventure” week. You could write about someone who yearned for free/open spaces, a fan of space/astronomy, or maybe a bingo player. You could also choose someone at random! |
