Jack King (NASA)
Jack King | |
|---|---|
.jpg) King at his post for the launch of Apollo 12, November 14, 1969 | |
| Born | February 12, 1931[1] Brighton, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | June 11, 2015 (aged 84) Cocoa Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Spokesman, corporate executive |
| Employer(s) | Associated Press NASA Energy Research and Development Administration Occidental Petroleum Fuqua School of Business United Space Alliance |
| Known for | Chief of Public Information and Public Affairs Officer, NASA |
| Spouse |
Evelyn (m. 1965–2005) |
| Children | 3 |
John William "Jack" King[1] (February 12, 1931 – June 11, 2015) was Chief of Public Information and a Public Affairs Officer for NASA. He is best known for his work as Kennedy Space Center Chief of Public Information during projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. As part of this role, he provided public announcements and commentary for several of the mission launches. He is best known for his announcement of the Apollo 11 launch, which earned him the nickname "Voice of Apollo".[2] The well-known commentary from that launch has been reused in songs and advertisements, and was included in a 2011 collection of NASA sounds from historic spaceflights that can be used as ringtones.[3]
Career[edit]
King grew up in Boston, the son of a local sportswriter, and attended Boston College.[4][5] Prior to joining NASA, King worked for the Associated Press. He opened the AP's Cape Canaveral bureau in 1958, when he was 27 years old.[6] King joined NASA in 1960, and served as the Kennedy Space Center's Chief of Public Information from 1960 to 1971, and as NASA's Public Affairs Officer from 1971 to 1975.[4] King announced most of the crewed NASA liftoffs between 1965 and 1971 (with the sole exception of Apollo 13, which was called by his deputy, Chuck Hollinshead); the first crewed launch King called was Gemini 4 in June 1965, and the last was Apollo 15 in July 1971. His best-known launch call was Apollo 11 in July 1969.
After NASA, he spent two years as Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration (later part of the United States Department of Energy),[7][8] and another 15 years as executive vice president of Occidental Petroleum.[7][8] He was appointed director of communications at the Fuqua School of Business in 1993.[5] In 1997, King returned to Cape Canaveral and the U.S. crewed space program, joining the United Space Alliance,[7] where he served as spokesman.[9]
King officially retired in October 2010, but continued to serve as a volunteer public affairs officer for NASA.[10]
Sampling in music[edit]
The notable line of "...20 seconds and counting..." and "... Five, four, three, two, one, zero. All engine running. Lift off, we have a lift off" from the Apollo 11 launch has been used in songs like Lift Off by Kanye West & Jay-Z,[11][12] and on other works for projects from acts like Def Leppard's Hysteria.[13] The phrase "31 seconds" is a motif in the influential jungle track "Valley of the Shadows" by Origin Unknown.[14]
Personal life[edit]
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King was a widower, his wife Evelyn having died in 2005. They were married 39 years.[8] He had three children and five grandchildren.[8][15][16] He was a Catholic.[17]
King died on June 11, 2015, at the age of 84 of congestive heart failure.[15]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Fountain, Nigel (June 17, 2015). "Jack King obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
- ^ Grinter, Kay (November 24, 2006). "43 years ago: Thanksgiving Day brings new name for Launch Operations Center" (PDF). Spaceport News. Vol. 45, no. 23. Kennedy Space Center. p. 7.
- ^ "NASA sounds". NASA. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
- ^ a b "King to Leave NASA Soon" (PDF). Roundup. Vol. 14, no. 3. Johnson Space Center. January 31, 1975. p. 1.
- ^ a b Staff (April 7, 1993). "Fuqua Chooses King". The Chronicle Online. Duke University. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009.
- ^ Watkins 2006, p. 119.
- ^ a b c "USA's King Receives Prestigious National Space Club Award" (PDF). USA Update. No. 30. United Space Alliance. January–February 2001. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 27, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Watkins 2006, p. 127.
- ^ Halvorson, Todd (November 14, 2006). "Photographer, PR rep win Kolcum awards". The Flame Trench.
- ^ DeCotis, Mark (July 7, 2011). "Jack King, voice of Apollo, still a space fan". Florida Today. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- ^ "The NASA Sample on the New Kanye/Jay Z Album? It's from Apollo 11". The Atlantic. August 15, 2011.
- ^ "Jay-Z and Kanye Sample the Apollo 11 Launch". August 16, 2011.
- ^ "Def Leppard, 'Hysteria' at 25: Classic Track-By-Track". Billboard.
- ^ "Andy C: By the Horns". DJ Mag. May 22, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ a b Granath, Bob (June 11, 2015). "NASA Mourns Loss of Former Launch Commentator, Jack King". NASA. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- ^ Dean, James (June 12, 2015). "Jack King, NASA's 'Voice of Apollo,' dies at 84". Florida Today. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ^ Watkins 2006, p. 122.
Bibliography[edit]
- Watkins, Billy (January 2006). "Jack King". Apollo Moon Missions: The Unsung Heroes. Westport: Praeger. p. 117. ISBN 0275987027. OCLC 68254666.
External links[edit]
- "Jack King, Public Affairs, NASA". Kennedy Biographies. NASA Kennedy Space Center. May 22, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
- Moore, Patrick (June 20, 2002). "Mr. Jack King Oral History" (PDF). Kennedy Space Center History Project. Kennedy Space Center: NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- "Jack King, 'Voice of Apollo'". Florida Today. June 27, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2013. 2012 Interview with King (4m, 38s).
- King's Apollo 11 liftoff commentary (audio)
- King's Apollo 11 liftoff commentary on YouTube (video)
- Jack King at IMDb