Mathematics Day 2023 Quotes

Another thank-you goes to Commander Bill Sanders of the Navy, who was one of our country’s top experts on nuclear strategy. A darn good friend and advisor who wrote the afterword of my first book on the subject. We would often joke in a macabre way that no one wants our nightmares, they are simply too scary. When you write about this stuff, you do have to learn balance to lead a good and happy life in spite of the concerns. The next acknowledgment is for Linda Franklin. Yes, the model for my Linda Franklin in the novels, along with her husband, Earl “Ernie” Franklin. Linda’s story is a remarkable one. Born into Southern rural poverty, a kindly aunt took care of her tuition in Vanderbilt, where she earned a degree in mathematics. I recall a dinner with her, dated exactly to July 20th, some years ago. It being July 20th, I raised my glass in a toast to Apollo 11. Linda replied, “I helped write the TLI programs for that.” Me: “You mean the Trans-Lunar Injection math.” And she beamed proudly. Linda spent more than a decade in the 1960s doing the math—not the software, but the actual complex mathematical formulas—for the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions that would then be coded. Don’t get it right there, and you don’t have the right software that became the triumphs of those glorious days for NASA. Yes, there was a movie made about it a few years back that featured several African Americans that deserve credit, but Linda was part of that team for ten years as well. Sadly, this is being written in late March of 2023 and by the time it is published, Linda will be gone from this earthly abode. Launch well, Linda, as you head off to the heaven you so richly deserve.