Father of an Astronaut

Forty-eight years ago, the College listed among its graduating seniors the name of Alan B. Shepard '13 of Derry, N. H. Today this name is familiar to every American as the name also of Shepard's son, the country's first astronaut.

Commander Alan B. Shepard Jr., our first man in space, grew up in New Hampshire and was raised in the small town of Derry, where both his parents had been born and raised. The Shepard name is a respected one in that small community.

Bart Shepard, as he is known to the Class of 1913, was born in East Derry on September 9, 1891. He prepared for Dartmouth at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, from which his son Alan also was to graduate. In the fall of 1909 he entered Dartmouth. As an undergraduate he participated in track for three years and was a member of the Mandolin Club, the college orchestra, and Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Following graduation he remained in Hanover for another year to earn an M.C.S. degree from Tuck School.

After a short business career with the Derry National Bank, Mr. Shepard found himself in the Army and a member of the American Expeditionary Force on its way to France. Prior to his sailing with the 304 th Infantry he had been commissioned a first lieutenant.

With the end of World War I, Mr. Shepard returned to Derry to become assistant cashier in the Derry bank. On June 30, 1921 he married Miss Renza P. Emerson of East Derry. In the years that followed the Shepards shared many joyous occasions, including the birth of a son, Alan, in 1923 and a daughter, Pauline, in 1925. In 1931 Mr. Shepard became co-owner of the Bartlett and Shepard Insurance Agency, a firm of which he is still a proprietor.

With the outbreak of World War II, Mr. Shepard stepped forward to serve his country. On November 18, 1940 he started a year's active duty with the Army at the New Hampshire state headquarters of the Selective Service as state adviser for occupational deferment. At that time he held the rank of major.

In April 1942 he was assigned to the Massachusetts state headquarters for Selective Service as chief of the manpower division. The following year he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

At the end of the war, Mr. Shepard once again settled down to the quiet life of Derry. His son Alan, a 1944 graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy, was a pilot in the Naval Air Force, but there was then no talk of Project Mercury or even a flight into outer space.

The Shepards continued to live the quiet life of a small New England town. Mr. Shepard is a member of the local Kiwanis Club and a 32nd degree Mason. His hobby is golf, and he also enjoys playing the organ. When he was fourteen he began to play the organ of the First Congregational Church and has been at it ever since.

Alan's historic flight into space has disrupted at least temporarily the normal Shepard routine. They have shared the spotlight with their son, his wife Louise, and their two granddaughters. Hundreds of letters of congratulations have poured in, not only from throughout the United States, but from South America, China and Europe. Personal congratulations were extended to the proud parents by President Kennedy.

Invitations to be guests of honor at New England celebrations, fairs, and community events have also been numerous. The Shepards have accepted as many of these as they could, and after a busy summer they will still be on the go this fall. Most people believe that if they cannot honor young Alan Shepard in person, the next best thing is to honor his mother and father.

Mr. and Mrs. Alan B. Shepard '13 standbefore the space capsule that carriedtheir son on his historic ride.