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Romans 5:1-4... Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have a peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have access by
faith in to this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in the hope of God.
And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that
tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance character; and
character, hope. (NKJV)
Ronald Erwin McNair was
born October 21, 1950 in Lake City, South Carolina. As a child, he attended
segregated schools and was not even allowed in the Lake City Public Library.
These are just a few of the many obstacles he overcame on his road to
success.
According to his school
principal, he was often seen on the playground lying quietly in the grass
staring toward the sky. He had dreams, he had hope, and he was to overcome
tribulation.
He went on to attend
North Carolina A & T State University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude
with a B.S. degree in physics in 1971. He then enrolled in the prestigious
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1976 at the age of 25, he earned
his Ph.D. in physic.
He soon became a
recognized expert in laser physics while working as staff physicist with
Hughes Research Laboratory. NASA selected Ronald McNair for the space
shuttle program in 1978 and assigned him as mission specialist aboard the
1984 flight of the shuttle Challenger.
After his death in the
ill-fated 1986 flight of the Challenger, the city of Lake City
erected a memorial in his memory. It stands in the middle of town next door
to the public library.
There is a museum planned
in his honor. Ironically, it is to be housed in the same building as the
public library used to be. The same building he was not allowed entrance as
a boy.
As legacy lives on, Dr.
McNair is a good example of what Perseverance and Faith in God can do.
Contributed by
Dr. Janice P. Woodberry |
