e
loved the planet Earth and all that lived upon it. His fascination
with the sciences was without bounds, and his love of knowledge
never ceased.
Wallace Mayer worked as an engineer for Douglas
Aircraft (1936 to 1974) on projects ranging from the DC-3 to the
Saturn launch vehicle. He retiried after 36 years to travel with
his wife Bette Jo.
Mr. Mayer's life was unalterably influenced by
his heroes: John Muir, Enrico Caruso, Yogi Berra, John F. Kennedy,
Neil Armstrong, and Mr. Ricksecker, the retired teacher who took
him to the mountains as a child and taught him the names of every
flower, every tree, and all the distant stars. It seems so fitting
that this unsung hero of the American space program will soon
join that exclusive fraternity of space travelers that he so greatly
admired.
The loved ones that Mr. Mayer leaves on Earth will
miss him greatly as they turn their eyes to the stars and wish
him Godspeed on his exploration of the heavens.
"A few days after my husband's death,
while all the family was still gathered at our home, one of the
grandchildren designed a tee shirt for us all saying, "Grandpa
went to outer space and all I got was this lousy T-shirt."
We spent the day enjoying Wally's favorite mountain retreat and
we all wore our T-shirts. Inquiring hikers were intrigued with
his upcoming adventure . . . .
I think Wally would be pleased to be remembered
this way.
The inscription to be engraved on the vial of ashes is, "'Our
Shining Star'.
He truly is."-- Bette
Jo Mayer
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