For sculptor Benjamin Victor, the most challenging part of creating the statue of New Hampshire native — and American hero — Christa McAuliffe was her space suit.
“The details of the uniform, that was the tricky part,” Victor told NHJournal just minutes after the memorial to McAuliffe was unveiled at the State House on Monday.
“There were just so many different zippers and folds, it was really intricate.”
For the speakers and the crowd at the unveiling, however, the message of the day was very simple. McAuliffe was a teacher who set a powerful example by seizing an opportunity: the chance to become the first teacher and first civilian in space.
That astonishing story ended in heartbreak on Jan. 28, 1986, when the Challenger space shuttle broke up 73 seconds after its launch, killing all seven crew members. McAuliffe, who was 37 years old at the time, would have turned 76 on Sept. 2.
Gov. Chris Sununu, who signed the executive order establishing the Christa McAuliffe State House Memorial Commission, was one of several speakers who noted McAuliffe was picked from more than 11,000 applicants to participate in the Reagan administration’s Teacher in Space program. “I watched the Space Age being born, and I would like to participate,” she wrote in her application to NASA.
“She was larger than life, and she was just down the road,” Sununu said of McAuliffe. “She was connected to her community. And it was that spirit, that enthusiasm, that connection that probably set her apart for the folks down at NASA.”
NASA deputy administrator Pam Melroy also spoke at the unveiling.
“We are excited that this statue not only honors Christa’s contribution, but also serves as a beacon of inspiration for future generations, ensuring that her legacy continues to shape the course of human space exploration,” Melroy said. “Happy birthday, Christa.”
Christa’s husband, Judge Steven McAuliffe, delivered what he assured the crowd was the message his wife would deliver if she could.
“I know this unhesitatingly and without reservation: Christa would want me to stress on her behalf, that this statue must be seen and appreciated … as a classroom teacher representing her profession. As a stand-in for all teachers and all educators.”
Victor’s statue is 8 feet tall, a bronze depicting McAuliffe walking in stride in her NASA flight suit. Victor is the only sculptor with four statues on display in the U.S. Capitol.
Victor said he was helped by having access to the uniform of Barbara Morgan, who was McAuliffe’s backup in the Teacher in Space program. Like Victor, she lives in Boise, Idaho, and made her uniform available for him to work from.
Pro-Palestine protesters demonstrate during presentation of Christa McAuliffe statue at N.H. State House, September 2, 2024.
“I had it hanging there as I worked on the sculpture. So I had the exact same uniform, down to every detail — the patches, the badges, the Teacher in Space patch — so it really gave it a personal touch,” Victor said during a presentation at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center on Sunday.
The crowd of some 500 greeted the unveiled statue with ahhs and extended applause. In the back, a small contingent of pro-Palestine protesters waved flags and signs, just a day after news that Palestinian terrorists has murdered six hostages in Gaza. The protesters were largely ignored by the attendees.
The base of the statue features McAuliffe’s motto: “I touch the future, I teach.”
“This isn’t a statue. It is all about that symbol of opportunity and hope, that every kid, that every individual, as they cross these grounds gets to take a little bit of pride in the great Granite State,” Sununu said.
