Challenger Space Shuttle Memorial; Christa McAuliffe

Bill Hopen created this memorial to Christa McAuliffe in 1987. McAuliffe was a teacher and the first civilian in space. She died in the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion in 1986. Following the event, West Virginia teacher and fellow astronaut hopeful, Melanie Vickers, began a fundraising campaign to honor the memory of McAuliffe and the other six astronauts killed in the Challenger disaster. This was accomplished through the West Virginia Pennies for Christa program, where millions of pennies were donated by schoolchildren. Hopen created the Christa McAuliffe likeness out of bronze, so that some of the donated pennies could be melted down and included in the sculpture. This location was chosen because the Sunrise Mansion was once home to the Sunrise Museum, an institution devoted to science and arts education. The Christa McAuliffe statue was unveiled and dedicated exactly one year after the Challenger disaster.

"CREW OF THE CHALLENGER IS RECALLED IN SERVICES." The New York Times (New York) January 29th 1987. , A sec, 16-16.

Hopen, Bill. Resume, Bill Hopen. Accessed January 21st 2021. https://www.billhopen.com/Asset.asp?AssetID=3100&AKey=7S457WDJ.

McGee, Ted. Sunrise, National Register of Historic Places. October 25th 1973. Accessed January 21st 2021. http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/kanawha/74002008.pdf.

Teachers Plan Statue of Astronaut, The Associated Press. May 4th 1986. Accessed January 21st 2021. https://apnews.com/article/7bce64d3b6b28f86f9e625df4d02ea7e.