COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Former Golden Eagle linebacker Barry
Wilmore, whose most recent headlines have been as a NASA astronaut
and Space Shuttle pilot, was back in Cookeville Tuesday night to
speak to the annual Chamber of Commerce Membership Dinner. Wilmore
spoke to a packed house of 425 at the Leslie Towne Center.
Among the many points during his speech, Wilmore expressed his
gratitude to the active service personnel around the world who are
making the sacrifice of being away from their families to protect
America's freedom. The comment from Wilmore, who is an active
office in the U.S. Navy, drew large, rousing applause from the
audience.
He drew laughter when he talked about one particular aspect of his
turn as pilot of STS-129, the Space Shuttle Atlantis last year. Not
knowing whether the craft would roll right or left once it achieved
orbit, Wilmore was excited that it rolled to the right -- his
direction -- and he was able to see the entire East Coast, one of
many, many sights during his first journey into space that thrilled
him. In essence, he had drawn the "window seat" on Atlantis.
Wilmore became just the 505th person to leave the planet, a number
that he marveled about when he put it in perspective. His
presentation was punctuated by slides and videos, beginning with
the days of his youth and how he developed a dogged trait of
determination. He also touched on his overwhelming pride at having
played football at Tennessee Tech.
A former walk-on member of the Golden Eagle football team, Wilmore became a starter and eventually was inducted into the TTU Sports Hall of Fame. In describing himself as a football player, Wilmore says he was, "small and slow and weak, but I had determination."
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