A new statue on the State House lawn in Concord commemorates the life of NASA astronaut and beloved teacher Christa McAuliffe.
Throughout speeches before the statue’s unveiling Monday, McAuliffe was remembered as a caring, inspiring teacher who was committed to her students’ success.
McAuliffe was chosen out of 11,000 applicants to teach from space as part of the NASA Teacher in Space project. She was one of the seven astronauts on the Challenger Space Shuttle, which exploded in 1986 shortly after launching.
Sally Sisak attended the unveiling with her 8-year-old daughter who attends Christa McAuliffe School in Concord. Sisak says she was in kindergarten watching the launch when she and her classmates were quickly pulled away after the explosion.
“Now I’m here with my third grader, and I'm glad Christa McAuliffe is remembered as well as she is because she and her family deserve the recognition,” Sisak said.
The statue featured McAuliffe in her astronaut uniform, with a gracious smile on her face.
Idaho sculptor, Benjamin Victor, said during a speech at the unveiling that he remembered watching Christa McAuliffe as a young kid and felt like she was everybody’s teacher.
“When you saw her on T.V. as a little second grader, you couldn’t help but relate to her and think of all the wonderful teachers in your own life who impacted you as a student,” Victor said.
Rep. Rebecca Williams said the unveiling was a bittersweet and wonderful event that took her back to when the explosion happened.
Williams also has three kids in the Concord school district. She says she’s excited that the statue will be part of their 4th grade visit to the state house.
“I have to say I love that she’s wearing pants,” she said. “It is so rare to see a statue of a woman who i s not wearing a skirt. It’s so great and it’s a change.”
Hers is the first statue of a woman on the State House lawn.
