Charlie Walker and Becky Muncy

Every town across the United States and throughout the world has some hometown heroes. In our county, Lawrence County Indiana, we are very proud to have three former astronauts. Their names are Ken Bowersox, Gus Grissom and Charlie Walker.

This past week I was honored to be a part of a fundraiser dinner and program featuring one of those heroes, Charlie Walker. The theme of the evening was “Remember Old Lincoln School and Dutchtown.” The proceeds from the fundraiser will purchase a historical marker for the former site of Dutchtown and the old Lincoln school. Some of my 4th and 5th grade students sang several patriotic songs as part of the program.

The emcee for the evening was former principal of Lincoln Elementary School and World War 2 Eighth Air Force Combat Veteran, 93 year old James Lee Hutchinson. Following a delicious dinner and some music, Mr. Hutchinson and Mr. Walker talked about growing up in Bedford, and their life experiences that led them to their future careers. Charlie talked about how his teachers, family and friends encouraged him to pursue his life-long goals which ultimately led him to working at NASA. It was fascinating to hear about the path of his life that took him to outer space to conduct scientific experiments.

James Lee Hutchinson and Charlie Walker

Earlier that day, Mr. Walker talked to our school children about growing up in Bedford, and being a former student at Lincoln Elementary. He credited a loving family, friends, a great community, and Lincoln school for inspiring his interest in rockets, engineering, and space. Astronaut Gus Grissom, also a Lawrence County native, inspired Charlie to dream big, study hard, work hard, go to Purdue University to study engineering and apply at NASA. If Gus could do it, he could do it.

As a teacher, I enjoy talking to my students about following examples of hometown heroes such as Charlie Walker, community members, or former students. I often share stories about my daughters – Bethany, who lives in Japan and teaches in Tokyo, and Caitlyn who lives in Los Angeles, CA pursuing a career in voice acting. Both girls are former students at Lincoln Elementary School. I am proud of their achievements! Yes, I was their music teacher at Lincoln Elementary – Mom!

It’s important that our students know we believe they can reach their own dreams with hard work, planning and an education. It’s equally important that we share success stories about former students that weren’t afraid to dream big and work hard! Thank you, Mr. Lee Hutchinson and Charlie Walker for being great examples, and an inspiration to our students and our community!

Charlie Walker

“Be an astronaut in space, that takes courage.  Flying far to a new place.  That takes courage.”

-Becky Muncy