Col. Frederick Gregory grew up in Washington, D.C., graduated from Anacostia Senior High followed by the U.S. Air Force Academy, and returned to the District for a master’s degree from George Washington University. And then, Col. Gregory flew to outer space, becoming the first black to pilot and command a space shuttle. The 69-year-old sat down with The Examiner to discuss the importance of faith, and how a unique glimpse of the galaxy can deepen it.
Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?
I consider myself to be a Protestant, and specifically a Baptist. I appreciate most about it that it is a celebration of the Lord Jesus Christ.
How did it change your faith, or your perspective, to see the world from space?
In orbit, when you look out, you see what appears to be a two-dimensional picture — it’s the blackest thing in life, with these diamonds in it. You think it’s a picture, but you realize that the light you see was emitted millions and tens of millions of years before, and it took that much time for it to arrive in your pupils, and your brain. And you realize that things did not start all at one time, but that things started at different times, and all arrived here at this moment.
And when you look down at the Earth, you see a ball that has no chaos — that has harmony. And you understand how the atmosphere, which is a fluid, and the fluids, which are water, and the dirt, which makes up the continents — you realize how they interact and work together. You can observe this in things such as deserts, and storms, and see that it is not chaos — it is well planned and organized.
And then you look out into our galaxy and see the planets, and the sun and the moons. What results from it all is that you understand you’re a little, little piece of this huge picture, and there must have been a great Lord to put it together, so that everything is in harmony, and nothing is in chaos.
You were the first African-American to be the pilot of a vehicle in space, and the first to be in command in space. What does it mean, if anything, to be a first?
I’ve never looked at any of this as being the first at anything. I believe that we should never accept the status quo, or be content with the way things have been. We should always strive to raise the bar. Every time that someone does something to raise the bar — that is a first. So in that sense, I would hope for a continuing number of people to become firsts.
You graduated from Anacostia Senior High and went on to become an astronaut. Today, the school is such that the chances of that are almost impossible. What is your advice to your home city about how again to meet kids’ needs?
I don’t think I have an answer for that. The burden is not only on the city, but also on the country, and on the world. And the burden in this particular case is to create excitement and passion and an incentive for kids to dream.
At the same time, when I was raised and during the time I was at Anacostia, I had four very strong pillars — the strength of the school, my community, my home and my church. And those four pillars created the foundation for me to grow on, and become what I am. If any of those crumble — school, community, church, family — and I mean a mother, a father and siblings — the chances of success are greatly reduced, and it would take a heroic effort for a kid to develop and prosper. One column cannot support a kid. Two cannot, three — perhaps. But I think it takes all four.
At your core, what is one of your defining beliefs?
I believe that every kid has the potential to significantly influence the direction of all of us — good or bad — and that it is the responsibility of the elders to assure that all of the energies of those kids are directed in a very positive way.
— Leah Fabel
