Astronaut’s High School Ready to Cheer on Launch

Steve Grzanich Reporting

CHICAGO (WBBM) -- When space shuttle Discovery blasts off next Tuesday with a Chicago-area astronaut onboard, a suburban high school science teacher will be watching proudly.

STS-120 Mission Specialist Dan Tani of Lombard sat in the third row from the front in James Carter’s sophomore science class at Glenbard East High School. The Class of ’79 alum has become the school’s most famous graduate as well as a role model for current students.

“He was a bright young man but I don’t think there’s any way you can ever look at somebody and say he’s going to be an astronaut,” said Carter, Glenbard East’s Science Department Chairman. “I knew that he was interested in science but really didn’t know what his dreams were,” added Carter.

During his high school years, Tani was photographer for the school’s newspaper, the Glenbard East Echo. He was also a member of Glenbard East symphonic band and the National Honor Society. In addition to photography, one of his out of school hobbies was building model rockets.

“As I look back it was very cool that he was in my class but high school is just a little part of who you are and he has become so much more,” said Carter. During Tani’s previous mission in 2001, Carter designed a NASA Endeavor flag which flew outside the school for the 11 day duration of Tani’s first shuttle mission.

Tani memorabilia, including packets of space food, a space shuttle model and the STS-108 mission patch are proudly displayed in the trophy case at the entrance of Glenbard East. Even the street outside has been renamed Dan Tani Way.

Tani is not just a celebrity at the school he is also a role model for current Glenbard East students.

“The thing that we share with our incoming freshmen on their first day of school is we show them a picture of Dan Tani and we say you can get to anyplace from Glenbard East,” Carter said. “You can go to the stars if you want.”

“I think it allows students to reflect and say maybe I could do that. Or maybe I could live the dream that I have. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go to space but if you dream of being a lawyer or doctor, you can get there from here,” added Carter.

Whether or not Glenbard East produced another astronaut remains to be seen, but Tani’s influence certainly can’t hurt, according to Carter, who is himself a proponent of space exploration.

“I’ve always thought that exploration is important,” he said. “Louis and Clark was a pretty expensive adventure also but they still went and look at the gains we made there. There are so many things that come from space exploration, so many things that technologically have improved society that I think we’re foolish if we don’t continue to try to go to other places.”