American Dynasty

Whew,      Thanksgiving is over. It was nip and tuck there for awhile.      This season I'm thankful for family and friends.  I'm thankful for all the years I spent with an outstanding dedicated staff and volunteers in a happy place we call 'The Space Center'.  I'm thankful for the 310,000 people who came through our doors on voyages of imagination. I'm grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support this program has received over the last twenty-six years and continues to receive from great people like you.  Your support has played, and will continue to play, an important role as the different space centers advance and expand.   I'm grateful for institutions like Renaissance Academy, the Alpine School District, Lakeview Academy and others who've invested so many resources into pioneering this new brand of simulator based experiential education.  I'd like to especially thank the following outstanding school administrators:...

     A hush fell over the standing room only crowd at the new downtown Troubadour Theater. The lights dimmed as two bright spots found their mark on Mr. Williamson.  Dressed in his rented tux, Mr. Williamson walked across the stage, stopping briefly to touch the red velvet curtains hiding the silver screen behind.  He nodded in approval. The downtown Troubadour was first class all the way.  No corner cut in the construction or its apparel.        Finding the X marked at center stage, Mr. Williamson stopped and adjusted the oversized 1930's radio microphone level to his mouth.  He cleared his throat while taking a moment to wipe his forehead with his clean white handkerchief.        "Welcome to The Troubadour!" he bellowed. The audience responded with thunderous applause. The overly enthusiastic rose to their feet.  The former Space Center director waited for the audience to fully show their appr...

The New USS Voyager's Control Room on D'Day            Ten hours in space is exactly right. What happened last Saturday at Renaissance Academy could be classified as a simulator miracle.  The story is simple in the telling yet profound in implications and history.  Chapter 1  The Warning      Our incredible story begins in the mind of Isaac Ostler, the new Voyager's student director. Isaac approached me with a request, which at first hearing left me dumbfounded.  "You want to do what?" I asked, thinking I wasn't hearing the words coming out of his mouth correctly.       "I want to tell my new 5 hour mission two times on Saturday," he repeated with a questioning look as to the reason for my surprised look.       "Twice?"       "Yes, two times."      "No one thought of as sane tells a new 5 hour mission twice in one day," I explained...