In this July 21 , 1969 file photo , a family in Tokyo watches a television showing U . S . President Richard Nixon superimposed on a live broadcast of the Apollo 11 astronauts saluting from the moon .
“ Well , I was eight years old , and my parents and I were living in Anaheim , Calif . I remember we had a Quasar TV set , and it was one of the models that sat on the floor . I think I had just come home from school when it came on , and I lay on the floor about four feet from the TV — back then , my parents would always yell at me if I was too close — and just watched in disbelief of what was happening before my eyes . Back then , I wanted to be an astronaut , as most kids back then wanted to be . I think that was the greatest thing I ever saw back then . I always dreamed of one day going to the moon myself . But then again , as kids , we all did .” — Joe Ferrera
“ I had just finished teaching an English class in Bangkok , Thailand , and walked down to a nearby hotel to watch news of the landing on the lounge TV . I saw the telephone call President Nixon made to the men who had landed on the moon . I marveled at how amazing technology was and was so proud to be an American . Here I was , sitting in Thailand , watching a conversation between the president in Washington , D . C ., talking to an astronaut on the moon . A few years ago , I Skyped with a friend who was staying in a Bangkok hotel . She turned the camera on her tablet so I could see the river from her room window on my computer screen here in Valdosta as we talked live without any expensive long-distance costs . I continue to think that technology is amazing and am as always proud to be an American .” — Jane Williams
“ I was in Toledo , and it was an exciting time for me . I remember very well what President Kennedy said about getting there and about what ( President Lyndon ) Johnson said . It was just a great time . Great time .” — The Rev . Floyd Rose
18 Valdosta Scene | July 2022