July 20, 1969 was a Sunday. NASA interrupted my cartoons on Saturday. I didn't mind. My parents were transfixed as well. The world east of US52 in Winston-Salem, NC seemed to slow; each moment savored, each conversation focused on this one event. Unlike the social stratification we "enjoyed," we weren't alone.
Like no other event before it or since, the world's attention was riveted, not on war, but scientific achievement; not on Vietnam or Civil Rights protests - both important - but on a future we could all collectively hope for. We'd pay attention to a cancelled Sci-Fi series - Star Trek - a little closer.
And I realized what I wanted to be.
I still have my slide rule. Godspeed Neil Armstrong...
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