The Explorers' Club, № MXLI

The Space Race—Astronaut Group 3 (the "Fourteen"), Part VIII
Ronnie Walter Cunningham (16 March 1932-3 January 2023), Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve—He flew Apollo 7 (1968), one of two Lunar Module Pilots to fly without a Lunar Module; he was only a dissertation short of earning his doctorate in physics; he served as chief astronaut of the Skylab branch of N.A.S.A.'s Flight Crew Directorate; his astronaut memoir was titled, The All-American Boys.

Commentary: Deke Slayton submitted thirteen names to N.A.S.A. brass for Astronaut Group 3. Max Faget, the designer of the Mercury capsule & Director of Engineering & Development at the Manned Spacecraft Center, objected on the grounds of triskaidekaphobia. Cunningham's name was fourteenth on Slayton's list; Walt was the seventh member of the "Fourteen" to fly in space.

In Apollo 7 pre-flight publicity, CDR Wally Schirra, L.M.P. Walt Cunningham, & C.M.P. Donn Eisele were referred to as "Wally, Walt, & What's His Name."

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: The "Fourteen"—Walt Cunningham
Sufjan Stevens, "Particle Physics" from the Silver & Gold compilation (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

The Wayback Machine Tour of Walt Cunningham
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCLXXVI: The 52nd Anniversary of Apollo 7, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCLXXVII: The 52nd Anniversary of Apollo 7, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCLXXVIII: The 52nd Anniversary of Apollo 7, Part III

Requiescat in pace.