The Astronaut Wives Club by Koppel Lily

Author:Koppel, Lily [Koppel, Lily]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2013-06-11T04:00:00+00:00

Lady Bird called it “a thrilling, incredible, heart-in-the-throat moment.” She wrote about the evening in her diary, “This was one of those incredible days that would make a book.” LBJ was elated. Ed White was his own John Glenn, not a little fellow, but big and tall like Lyndon Johnson, and with a sweet little lady who wouldn’t dare shut him out of her house. The president had big plans for Ed White, who, when asked how he was feeling during his space walk, said, “Red, white, and blue all over.” At the close of the film LBJ unveiled a Texas-size surprise.

“This may not make me too popular with your families,” said LBJ, glancing at the Pats—Pat White and Jim’s wife, Pat McDivitt. “But I am going to ask you tonight—in the very next few hours—to take the presidential plane and travel outside the country, again.”

The astronauts and their wives wouldn’t be spending the night at the White House as planned, but instead would leave at four in the morning to attend the American Air Show in Paris. There the astronauts would have a meeting with two Soviet cosmonauts, including the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin. It was sure to be a vodka-fueled meeting.

After preflight drinks at the White House, Lady Bird led the Pats through her office into her private dressing room, with the promise of finding evening dresses, at least one for each. “After all, what does any woman think about when she hears she is going to Paris—clothes!” Lady Bird wrote in her diary.

To her delight, it turned out the Pats were both a size ten. “That’s great—so am I,” Lady Bird noted approvingly.

Picking up her First Lady’s telephone, Lady Bird called her secretary and suggested they put on an impromptu fashion show. The Pats were getting a very rare privilege indeed. “Maybe ‘Le Grand Charles’ might invite them to a reception,” cooed Lady Bird, referring to France’s president, Charles de Gaulle.

The Johnsons’ two teenage daughters volunteered to babysit for the Astrokids while their parents were in Europe. As the helicopter lifted from the White House to deliver the couples to Air Force One, waiting at nearby Andrews Air Force Base, Pat waved an excited good-bye to her seven-year-old Bonnie and her son, Eddie III, who were standing with Luci and Lynda on the lawn in pajamas and robes.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.