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Author
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Topic: NASA center director Kurt Debus' scars
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drifting to the right
Member Posts: 137
From:
Registered: Aug 2006
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posted 01-10-2022 01:28 PM
  
Kurt Debus, the first director of NASA's Launch Operations Center (later Kennedy Space Center), had prominent scars along his left lower face, which were of interesting origin. Any takers as to etiology? |
Jim Behling
Member Posts: 1698
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 01-10-2022 01:41 PM
Fencing.
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drifting to the right
Member Posts: 137
From:
Registered: Aug 2006
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posted 01-10-2022 02:10 PM
Right on, Jim. Such scars were considered marks of high honor among the German college fencing fraternities. Most fighters were right-handed, thus the propensity of left facial and scalp scars. Many German military officers bore these with pride. The practice has been around among German and Austrian college fraternities or "corps" since about 1600. Mark Twain gives a detailed, if somewhat cringeworthy, description of such on a trip to Heidelberg University in his book, "A Tramp Abroad." |
MCroft04
Member Posts: 1759
From: Smithfield, Me, USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 01-11-2022 08:13 AM
My good friend Terry Terhune, a NASA engineer who worked most of his career on the Atlas but eventually shifted over to shuttle has many great stories about his time at NASA. One is included in Colin Burgess’s book "Friendship 7: The Epic Orbital flight of John Glenn, Jr." on pages 92-94. Some of his stories are not recommended for mixed company. But he shared one with me when he received an award from Kurt Debus. When Terry’s name was called out, he walked up on the right side of the stage. Debus handed him the award, and Terry moved to Debus' left for the customary photo. Well Terry describes what happened next as a dance with Debus; he didn't know what was happening as Debus kept moving to the other side of Terry, eventually ending up Terry's left side. When Terry got off stage, he mentioned to a friend that he had no idea what has just taken place; his friend explained. Debus was very proud of that scar and would not allow photos to be taken unless if was front and center, which is why he moved over to Terry's left side. |
Buel
Member Posts: 800
From: UK
Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 01-11-2022 03:28 PM
Wow. This is fascinating!!! |
FFrench
Member Posts: 3256
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 01-11-2022 05:12 PM
Jim Hansen, author of "First Man," consulted on the movie of the same name. They had him play a cameo in the movie, and for a possible close-up went as far as makeup tests to replicate the duelling scars. But then, deciding there would be no closeup, they didn't do them for the actual shoot... |
dss65
Member Posts: 1276
From: Sandpoint, ID, USA
Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 01-12-2022 07:36 PM
You just never know what you're going to learn on this site... Thanks, guys! |
MartinAir
Member Posts: 139
From:
Registered: Oct 2020
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posted 01-14-2022 09:59 AM
Noticed that most of these fraternities/Burschenschaften are considered far-right/nazi nowadays, at least in Austria... |
Captain Apollo
Member Posts: 293
From: UK
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 01-17-2022 11:44 AM
Well, Debus was a member of the SA and the SS. |
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