A Hero For All Mankind
Statement by Marion C. Blakey
AIA President and Chief Executive Officer
Neil Armstrong will be forever remembered in world history as the first man to walk on an alien world, having come in peace for all mankind.
He will always be honored for his courage, his daring and for his special grace.
We will remember him not only for his one small step into history, but also for his pioneering work as a test pilot, for his brave actions to save the Gemini 8 mission from disaster and for his extraordinary skill in landing the Eagle safely on the lunar surface during those heart stopping moments when the world waited and the margin for error had all but disappeared.
Perhaps the legacy of Neil Armstrong was best expressed in the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem, A Psalm of Life:
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time.
Neil Armstrong's footprints will live forever on the sands of Tranquility Base, and in our hearts, always inspiring those who dare to dream great dreams.
Additional information about this man and his remarkable accomplishemnts can be found here.
Marion C. Blakey
President and Chief Executive Officer
