{"id":79470,"date":"2020-05-30T11:36:33","date_gmt":"2020-05-30T15:36:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?p=79470"},"modified":"2020-05-31T12:13:46","modified_gmt":"2020-05-31T16:13:46","slug":"dont-give-up-on-your-dreams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/30\/dont-give-up-on-your-dreams\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Don\u2019t give up on your dreams\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

An old saying, \u201cBeam me up, Scotty,\u201d probably sounds appealing during a pandemic, but for someone like Apalachin, New York\u2019s Doug Hurley, going to space is all in the family, one might say. The 53-year-old NASA Astronaut was scheduled to launch off Wednesday in the First Generation Space-X, a spacecraft designed, built, and owned by SpaceX. However, the launch from Kennedy Space Center was postponed until Saturday, May 30 due to lightning. <\/p>\n

For the Space-X launch, Hurley\u2019s friend, colleague, and 2000 Astronaut school classmate, Astronaut Robert Behnken, will be joining him. <\/p>\n

\"\u2018Don\u2019t<\/a>

Pictured, are Doug Hurley, his wife Karen Nyberg (who just retired as a NASA astronaut), and 10-year-old son Jack. Provided photo.<\/p><\/div>\n

Making the space circle even wider, their wives, Meghan Behnken and Karen Nyberg, are also astronauts. They each have one son as well, Jack, and Theo Behnken. They were even involved in each other\u2019s wedding.<\/p>\n

\"\u2018Don\u2019t<\/a>

Pictured, are Astronaut Bob Behnken, Astronaut Megan McArthur, and son Theo. Provided photo.<\/p><\/div>\n

A 1984 graduate of Owego Free Academy, Hurley returned to Owego in later years to talk to an assembly of students, assuring them, \u201cDon\u2019t give up on your dreams.\u201d The Space-X launch is certainly a testament to Astronaut Doug Hurley\u2019s tenacity and vigilance within this pursuit.<\/p>\n

Chele (Jura) Gatto, longtime friend of Doug Hurley\u2019s and also a 1984 Owego Free Academy graduate, echoed Hurley\u2019s words from his 2009 visit back to Owego Free Academy, and where he spoke to students. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe was such a powerful example,\u201d said Gatto about the 2009 assembly.<\/p>\n

\"\u2018Don\u2019t<\/a>

Pictured are friends and classmates of Astronaut Doug Hurley, OFA Class of 1984. They are pictured during an assembly held at Owego Free Academy in 2009. From left, are Sheila Dodge, Kelly Hawkins, Todd Card, Doug Hurley, Chele (Jura) Gatto, John Gatto, Kelly Klees, Pam (Jones) Benthin, Shelly (Shay) Perestam, Mark Kwiatkowski, and Jeff Rudler.<\/p><\/div>\n

In a recent interview with Gatto, who owns The Owego Pharmacy alongside her husband John, she talked about Hurley and his obsession with space.<\/p>\n

The two grew up together in Apalachin, and were friends right through graduation. Gatto recalled going to his house one time while they were in middle school, and it was wildly decorated with a Star Trek theme. He was also good at computer programming, and she would often call him for help.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was such a great guy and a good friend,\u201d Gatto added.<\/p>\n

When Gatto learned that Hurley was selected by NASA to serve as a spacecraft pilot in 2000, and following his extensive career as a Marine Corps pilot, she felt a sense of pride for her friend and former classmate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so super proud of Doug, and in awe to even know him,\u201d said Gatto, who remains friends and stays in contact with his wife.<\/p>\n

\"\u2018Don\u2019t<\/a>

Astronaut Doug Hurley is pictured with one of his former teachers, Robin (Dukerich) Seward. Provided photo.<\/p><\/div>\n

We also spoke with one of Hurley\u2019s former teachers, Robin (Dukerich) Seward, who taught fourth, fifth and sixth grade in Owego before retiring in 2006. In her recollections, Seward said that teaching him [Doug Hurley] was so much fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told his mom, Sherry, that he\u2019s going to be something someday,\u201d said Seward on Wednesday, and as she prepared to watch the first launch that was scrubbed.<\/p>\n

She then chuckled a bit, again recalling a phone call from Hurley\u2019s mom following his appointment as a NASA pilot. According to Seward, when she answered the phone, his mom questioned, with great excitement, \u201cIs NASA Astronaut good enough for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seward stayed in touch with Hurley\u2019s mom, and was even invited to a Space Shuttle launch with Hurley onboard in 2009, and then in 2011, which was the final trip for the shuttle. <\/p>\n

Seward described being at Cape Canaveral for the first launch in 2009. <\/p>\n

\"\u2018Don\u2019t<\/a>

Doug Hurley, at the age of ten, was a student in Robin (Dukerich) Seward\u2019s fifth grade class in Apalachin. Provided photo.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI just stood at the fence clinging, the entire time,\u201d said Seward, adding, \u201cI was so excited, yet so nervous.\u201d <\/p>\n

Seward also has a vision that has remained in her mind since the 2009 launch. Hurley\u2019s brother, Dean, was also at that launch and was \u201cfist pumping\u201d in the air as the launch succeeded; she never forgot that look of excitement, and reemphasized what Gatto said of Hurley\u2019s inspiration – it has no boundaries.<\/p>\n

\"\u2018Don\u2019t<\/a>

Astronaut Doug Hurley is pictured with his friends following an assembly at Owego Free Academy in 2009. Pictured, from left, are Alan Perestam, Karen Nyberg (Doug’s wife who was pregnant with Jack), Doug Hurley, Jeff Rudler, Pam (Jones) Benthin, and Paige Williams. Pictured in the front, from left, are Chele (Jura) Gatto and Shelly (Shay) Perestam.<\/p><\/div>\n

As for her relationship with Hurley, Seward stated that she is thrilled to be a part of his life. With no children of her own, Seward was always very close to her students; she was 25 when Hurley was her student, and recently turned 69.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so proud,\u201d Seward added.<\/p>\n

If all goes well with the weather and atmosphere, Hurley\u2019s launch will now commence on May 30, at 3:22 EST<\/strong> from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This launch will be the first launch in close to a decade from American soil.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An old saying, \u201cBeam me up, Scotty,\u201d probably sounds appealing during a pandemic, but for someone like Apalachin, New York\u2019s Doug Hurley, going to space…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":79482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Don\u2019t give up on your dreams\u2019 - Owego Pennysaver Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/30\/dont-give-up-on-your-dreams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Don\u2019t give up on your dreams\u2019 - Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An old saying, \u201cBeam me up, Scotty,\u201d probably sounds appealing during a pandemic, but for someone like Apalachin, New York\u2019s Doug Hurley, going to space...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/30\/dont-give-up-on-your-dreams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/The-Owego-Pennysaver-49179420591\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-05-30T15:36:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-05-31T16:13:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/05\/Hurley5-e1590853961276.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"519\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"278\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/30\/dont-give-up-on-your-dreams\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/30\/dont-give-up-on-your-dreams\/\",\"name\":\"\u2018Don\u2019t give up on your dreams\u2019 - Owego Pennysaver Press\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/30\/dont-give-up-on-your-dreams\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/30\/dont-give-up-on-your-dreams\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/05\/Hurley5-e1590853961276.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-30T15:36:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-31T16:13:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e03684194434956dfb61f5ffcbc19492\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/30\/dont-give-up-on-your-dreams\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/30\/dont-give-up-on-your-dreams\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/30\/dont-give-up-on-your-dreams\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/05\/Hurley5-e1590853961276.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/05\/Hurley5-e1590853961276.jpg\",\"width\":519,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"Astronaut Doug Hurley speaks to an assembly of students at Owego Free Academy in 2009. 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