Challenger

[neadods]

Today was my generation's "Do you remember where you were when you heard?" moment.

I was at my first job, in a big open space with four desks in it (I would, over the course of my career there, sit at all 4.) Because this was when indoor smoking was still allowed, I was probably hunched over a fan, which I ran every day to try to cope with the chainsmoker who sat at another of the desks. I was probably wrestling with the office computer, a command-line DOS beast.

All I clearly remember is one of the bosses coming out of the window offices ringing our open area and saying in a hushed voice, "Challenger blew up. I heard it on the radio." (Only management was allowed stuff like that.)

I refused to believe it until I got home and saw it on the news. And then I still didn't believe it. I didn't want to.

Comments

[not-hathor.livejournal.com]

I was at work. Those were the days before the FCC started breaking up the Radio-TV station groups, so we were still one TV/AM/FM company. The top of the hour news had just finished on the Radio, and the announcer (it was my immediate boss, actually, who was very much a fan of the whole space program, too) had switched from the National news feed to music (we were a Country format at the time), when someone came running up from the TV side, calling 'switch back, switch back! The shuttle....' I think half the station personnel ended up crowded into the TV monitor room in shocked silence for the next six hours.... Some of us tried to work, but I don't think a lot got done. One of the TV Sales guys (Don?) was related to Judy Resnick -- cousin, I think.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I think half the station personnel ended up crowded into the TV monitor room in shocked silence for the next six hours....

That seems to be the standard response to tragedy - that's exactly what we did on 9/11.