School Remembers Graduate Christa Corrigan McAuliffe

By Susan Petroni/Patch

FRAMINGHAM, MA - Marian High School, with the help of Veterans from VFW 929, marked the 30th anniversary of the Challenge explosion with an 8 a.m. flag ceremony.

Christa Corrigan grew up in Framingham, and attended Marian High School. It is there she met her husband Steven McAuliffe, and fostered a love for education.

This morning, a U.S. flag that flew over NASA in Houston, Cape Canaveral in Florida, and the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. was raised and then lowered to half-staff for 73 seconds, to honor the 1966 graduate of Marian High.

McAuliffe, who later graduated from Framingham State College in 1970, became a teacher. And in 1984 was selected by President Ronald Reagan out of more than 10,000 applicants to be the first teacher in space.

She and six others aboard the NASA space shuttle perished when Challenger exploded 73 seconds into its flight on January 28. 1986.

“It was here at Marian High that Christa received her basic training to be a leader,” said VFW 929 Commander Framingham Nicholas Paganella.

Framingham VFW 929 Chaplain Robert Anspach said it was fitting that the flag pole on the campus of Marian High was dedicated to another fallen Marian High graduate John M. Nealon.

Nealon, a graduate of the class of 1963, died in Vietnam on Dec. 23, 1967.

“If not for the sacrifice of Nealon, and other Veterans, we would not have the opportunities, and Christa would not have been able to take part in the historic yet tragic flight,” said Anspach.

Marian students Brendan Dilbarian of Framingham, Megan Bubello of Framingham, Alex Brown of Natick, and Alex Madrid of Framingham participated in the flag ceremony this morning, along with Marian High Principal John Ermilio. It is important to note that none of the students were even born when Challenger exploded in 1986.

Also participating in the ceremony was Framingham Veterans Agent Peter Harvell.

After the flag was flown, and moved to half-staff for 73 seconds, it was then taken down from the Marian flag pole so it could be flown at Concord High School in New Hampshire today at 11:39 a.m., the exact time when the space shuttle exploded.

Later, the flag will be flown on the campus of Framingham State University today, and eventually the flag will be flown at the new Christa McAuliffe branch library on Water Street this spring permanently.

Just yesterday, Framingham Patch published the library would open in February. There will be a flag ceremony in May, said Paganella.

Harvell said Congresswoman Katherine Clark and her office was able to get the flag for Framingham.

Photos courtesy of Petroni Media Company