From the Streets to the Stars

Book excerpt: This book is an inspirational, humorous description of my life from a hard core juvenile delinquent to a top executive in a major corporation. It begins on the streets of New York City and recounts the thievery, property damage, weapons and gang wars that defined my juvenile years. It recalls a transitional phase where the death of my grandfather, a move from New York, my family, my friends, and the heavy handed brothers of Notre Dame High School gradually erased the influence of my juvenile years. My work during the design phase of both Project Apollo and Space Shuttle, and the unbelievably exciting launches at the Kennedy Space Center are covered with an insiders perspective on how these great teams dealt with successes and failures. Throughout, I reflect on how the experiences of my delinquent and transitional phases, and my renewed relationship with God, helped me to grow and to use my career successes to help others. Finally I describe a special invitation to the Planetary Congress of the Association of Space Explorers in Vienna where I spent several days with more than 80 astronauts and cosmonauts that were truly the stars of my world.