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I’m in orbit! I’m soaring ! I’m the luckiest girl alive !
An exclusive interview with twenty-oneyear-old, Nancy Caryl Lowe, secretary to seven great men — America’s astronauts!
Place of interview: Room 203 of Building 60 — Space Agency (NASA) headquarters, Langley Field, Va. This is Nancy’s office. One desk. Two phones. Three locked file cabinets. Battered airconditioner. On Nancy’s desk, a jar of candy balls. Also a kooky figurine of a man from outer space — Martian style. Also a coffee jug, a gift from the astronauts, inscribed: “To Nancy Lowe, our friend and secretary ‘par-excellent,’ with best wishes and many thanks.” A secretary’s personal, very special treasures.
One door away is the entrance to the astronauts’ office. Surprisingly small. Cramped, in fact. Seven desks. One phone. Two battered air-conditioners. Twenty-four hour clock on the wall. Blackboard. Two maps. Eight windows. Each desk piled with papers. Each desk featuring at least one personal effect. On Carpenter’s desk, a globe — a gift from his wife. On Glenn’s, a jug inscribed: “I work well under pressure.” On Shepard’s, a tiny toy tiger. On Grissom’s, a sign reading: “If you wanna race — go to Daytona.” On Cooper’s, a big cup with a drawing of a sad-eyed dog and the inscription: “Coffee Hound.” On Schirra’s, a white jug marked: “Wally.” On Slayton’s, an ashtray inscribed: “May your birthdays bring you more horse power and less exhaust.” But back now to the story, which this reporter took down so painstakingly that Nancy offered help. “Would you like me to take it in shorthand while I’m talking?” she asked. But her kind offer wasn’t really needed — here is her story of life with America’s seven astronauts — word for word:
“Like most secretaries, my working day begins at the coffee pot. See it over there? It holds twenty-four cups. When the boys are all here, I usually make at least two pots a day.
“I get here a few minutes before nine every morning. Then they come in, one by one — Col. Glenn by air shuttle from Washington; Comdr. Shepard from his home in Virginia (Continued on page 70)
BOSSES ARE