BECKLEY, W.Va. — One of West Virginia’s greatest innovators, Jon McBride, died Wednesday after his battle with Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.
He was 80-years-old.
McBride was the state’s first astronaut, as the Woodrow Wilson High School graduate served under President Ronald Reagan as the Assistant Administrator for Congressional Relations at NASA Headquarters and piloted the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984, the first mission to launch seven people into space. McBride was also on the command crew of the ASTRO-1 mission.
McBride worked at the Kennedy Space Center for two decades, and also flew over 60 combat missions during his time with the Navy. McBride graduated from the United States Naval Postgraduate School in 1971, completing a degree in Aeronautical Engineering.
According to his obituary, McBride’s last words were, “Oh boy!” as he watched a Kennedy Space Center rocket launch from his window.