Capt. James Lovell, Milwaukee native and famed Apollo 13 commander, dies at 97
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- An American hero and Milwaukee native has died.
Captain James Lovell, noted astronaut and commander of the apollo 13 mission, died Thursday at age 97.
Lovell grew up in Milwaukee and later attended the University of Wisconsin Madison.
Veteran reporter Jerry Burke told us, "He was probably one of the most humble people I've ever met." He added, "He was just a decent, decent man."
Born in Cleveland in 1928, Lovell's mother moved the family to Milwaukee a few years after the death of his father.
He attended then-Juneau High School, now MacDowell Montessori School, where he met his future wife, Marilyn.
Lovell studied engineering at UW Madison under the Navy's "Flying Midshipmen" program, then piloted Navy planes in the early 1950s.
In 1962 he was accepted as an astronaut, first in the Gemini program, then on the Apollo missions that aimed to get Americans on the moon.
In 1968, Lovell's Apollo 8 crew was the first ever to leave Earth's orbit and circle the moon.
In 2018, Lovell said, "Apollo 8 flight was perhaps the most dangerous because it was new."
America now led the space race.
Two years later, Lovell was to go back to the moon as commander of Apollo 13.
At the time, he told reporters, "I certainly do. I feel ready to land on the moon. No problems about that."
But there were problems, of course.
A catastrophic oxygen tank explosion thousands of miles from earth dashed any hopes of a lunar landing.
For days, NASA's efforts to get the crew home safely captivated the world.
In 2020, Lovell said, "13, not successful in its initial mission, was very successful in binding back together the people of the United States and the world."
In 1995, the blockbuster movie brought Lovell's heroics and the "successful failure" to a new generation.
On Friday, acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy said, "Jim’s character and steadfast courage helped our nation reach the Moon and turned a potential tragedy into a success."
In 1996, the city of Milwaukee renamed a stretch of N. 7th Street in his honor.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said Friday, "His heroism as an astronaut is well documented. His amiable nature was evident whenever he visited our city."
Artifacts and Lovell's personal effects fill a display at Mitchell International Airport.
After retiring from the Navy, he worked in the private sector, all along serving as an aviation ambassador.
Burke, the reporter, led several discussions with Lovell at the annual EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh.
Burke said, "He captivated everybody with and he always addressed the person. He'd say, 'What's your name?' And he would address that individual by their name."
While the audience wanted to hear about the Apollo 13 mission, Burke said, "Jim always was passing along credit to the other people, especially to Gene Kranz back at Mission Control."
Lovell's wife, Marilyn, preceded him in death in 2023. They have four children and many grandchildren.
Burke said, "He's what every pilot should wish to become. Because he's just a decent man."
And he said he'll be greatly missed. "Jim was endeared here. He couldn't make it the last few years, because of health issues, but he sure left a hell of a good impression."