TLS signed “J. F. Yardley,” two pages, 8.5 x 11, McDonnell Aircraft Corporation letterhead, June 1, 1967. Significant letter to Guenter Wendt, thanking him for his service and wishing him well on his leaving McDonnell Aircraft Corporation to return to Cape Canaveral after the Apollo 1 fire. Yardley was an executive of McDonnell Douglas, which built the Mercury and Gemini capsules. They lost the contract for the Apollo command module to North American Aviation (Rockwell). NAA would not give Wendt complete authority as the Pad Leader so he refused the job and stayed with McDonnell, who reassigned him to a test range in Titusville. After the Apollo 1 fire, NAA hired Wendt to return as the Pad Leader and gave him the complete authority he required.
In part: "I was very sorry to hear of your decision to leave McDonnell Douglas after your many years of faithful service. It brought back many memories of our Mercury and Gemini days together. I recall the first time that I visited the Cape in 1959 (little did I know at the time it would be my future home for four years). You showed me around and explained everything, since you were one of the first several people to make up our 'advanced guard.' Then, after I moved to the Cape, I recall many dark days in the early period. Preparations for MR-1 when we had to buy stepladders to get satisfactory access to the upper part of the Mercury Spacecraft—and many other trying experiences such as the MR-1 launch which went 3/4 inch and settled back down. Then the light started to shine on our activities; first with the unmanned Redstone launches, then the chimp, and finally the MR-3 manned shot with Al Shepard that I'm sure neither of us will ever forget….McDonnell Douglas is, of course, in the manned spacecraft business to stay. We will no doubt be back in force one of these days, so will look forward to seeing you." In fine condition.
We use cookies on this site to improve your experience. By using this site, you accept our use of cookies. To learn more, please see our Privacy Policy.
