Aviation Museum of New Hampshire Marks the 100th Anniversary of Alan B. Shepard’s Birth

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Astronaut Alan B. Shepard suited up for space flight – NASA photograph

The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, located on the east side of the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, recently marked what would have been the 100th birthday of an aviation legend who grew up in the state. Navy pilot and NASA Astronaut Alan B. Shepard grew up in East Derry, New Hampshire and worked odd jobs at a nearby airfield, fueling his interest in aviation. According to the Museum, that airport was the pre-World War II Manchester Airport, now the Museum’s home. A century after his birth in the Granite State, the Museum celebrated his accomplishments during the weekend of November 17-18, 2023.

After local schooling, Alan Shepard was accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in late 1944. He began his naval career in ships and was stationed on a destroyer during the final battles of the Pacific Theatre in the Second World War. 

After the War ended, he completed flight training and became a naval aviator in 1947. One of his first tours of duty was on an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean. He became a test pilot based at Patuxent Naval Air Station, and served as an Operations Officer for VFA-193, which included a pair of Pacific tours aboard the USS Oriskany (CV-34). In 1959, he was selected for NASA training for the Project Mercury program, and almost two years later he began astronaut training. 

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Alan B. Shepard on the moon – NASA photograph by Ed Mitchell

On May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard became the first American in space during the flight of Freedom 7. He would later become the Chief of the Astronauts Office and in 1971 would become the commander of the Apollo XIV moon mission, landing on the lunar surface. On that mission, he famously hit a pair of golf balls while on a moon walk. He retired from NASA in 1974, focusing on private sector work and as the President of the non-profit Mercury Seven Foundation. and died in 1998 from leukemia.

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Part of the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire’s display marking the 100th anniversary of Alan B. Shepard’s birthday. Ken Kula photograph

Alan Shepard was born on November 18, 1923, and to mark the centennial of his birth, the Museum offered slices from a large birthday cake to visitors to mark the important birthday. After touring the cozy museum’s collections and the display about the astronaut’s accomplishments, one could leave the facility with a rather large slice of cake!

Manchester’s hometown airport began as a civilian airport before World War II. As war became a possibility, the Army Air Force took over the field and began training pilots there. Anti-submarine and fighter squadrons were soon added. The airfield was renamed Grenier Army Air Force Base after a local military pilot who perished in an airplane crash. During World War II, the Air Transport Command used the base as an important stop for eastbound European air traffic, which would continue onto Presque Isle or Dow AAF in Maine. After World War II, the base supported many military missions including Air Defense, transport and training, until it was deactivated in 1966. Grenier then became a civilian airport again and has scheduled airline service, with a busy air freight operation as well. 

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Part of the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire’s collection – Ken Kula photograph

The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire’s roots began as a historical society in 1995.  That group soon began working to fund the movement of Manchester’s 1937 Art Deco-themed terminal building from the northwestern side of the airport to its current southeastern corner of the airport. The move was completed in 2004, and the Museum had its first home. Expanded in 2011, the facility and organization “focuses on cultivating the aviation and aerospace pioneers of the future in addition to preserving the rich history of aviation in the Granite State”. In keeping with its mission, the Museum presented an important slice of New Hampshire’s aviation history with a birthday cake and some historical insight of the first American to enter space. For more information about the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, visit:  https://aviationmuseumofnh.org/

Ken Kula

Assignment and Content Editor, writer and photographer A New Englander all of my life, I've lived in New Hampshire since 1981. My passion for all things aviation began at a very early age, and I coupled this with my interest of photography during college in the late 1970s. I spent 35 years in the air traffic control industry, and concurrently, enjoyed my aviation photography and writing adventures, which continue today. I've been quite fortunate to have been mentored by some generous and gifted individuals. I enjoy contributing to this great site and working with some very knowledgeable and equally passionate aviation followers.

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