Many readers might recognize actor Tom Hanks, right, who portrayed astronaut Jim Lovell in the movie Apollo 13. However, most probably didn’t know that the naval officer shown left of Hanks in this scene is the actual Jim Lovell playing a cameo role in the film’s conclusion. (Universal Pictures)
By Troy Turner
Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, who died Friday at age 97, visited Alabama for multiple speaking engagements and assignments during his remarkable leadership career, including at the Air War College hosted at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery and for NASA-related functions in Huntsville.
Many know of Lovell because of the Tom Hanks role in portraying him in the hit movie “Apollo 13,” which has educated generations of Americans since the actual 1970 space mission captured the awe of the entire world when the crew safely returned home despite seemingly impossible odds after a spacecraft mishap.
Jim Lovell shown saluting during a post-mission ceremony with President Nixon. (NASA)
Lovell was a 1952 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and began his military career as a naval aviator, eventually becoming a test pilot and then astronaut.
His leadership skills were touted throughout his career, and that was one of the reasons he was invited to Alabama. He visited the Air War College at Maxwell AFB in 2012.
A classic case of crisis management
Relaying heroic and horrific details of his last space mission aboard the infamous Apollo 13, Lovell, then 85, told his experience with an intensity and humor that engaged students and faculty, and later that afternoon to the Air Command and Staff College, according to an Air Force story reported by Rebecca Burylo.
“It wasn’t just a cool space adventure,” said Lovell. “It was really a classic case of crisis management where certain attributes were required to be successful, and they were brought out that way like leadership, team work, mission, perseverance.”
(2012 U.S. Air Force photo by Melanie Rodgers Cox)
These are the kind of qualities military members must have as they grow in rank and begin to shoulder more responsibility over their teams, time and the mission, he told his audience.
“They (military leaders) will have to make decisions and have to prioritize what they’re doing to get the most out of the time they have, the equipment they have and the people they have,” Lovell explained.
His unique adventures working with NASA’s space program gave students a firsthand look at the kind of unforeseen circumstances they could face on any mission, whether in space or air, and what they should do to prepare for such scenarios, Burylo reported.
“There’s so much chance to learn, and they need to keep their minds open and absorb the environment around them because they are offered in a military career so much opportunity,” he said. “Leadership is a quality that is learned, and that’s the whole reason why you have a school is to pass that on to students.”
Movie stars come to Huntsville
Lovell had visited Montgomery earlier, in 2008, in support of a benefit for Faulkner University.
He made visits to Huntsville fairly often, given his ties to NASA and the agency’s historically deep roots there with launching America’s space program.
One notable purpose for being in Huntsville is when Lovell joined others in training actors Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton for their roles in the movie portraying the crew of Apollo 13. That experience included the actors going through real training exercises at Space Camp, where for years portions of the Apollo program’s missions were emulated by thousands of campers.
Space Camp continues with similar programs today to inspire future astronauts, with the Alabama Space & Rocket Center and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center luring thousands of visitors to Huntsville each year.
Auburn’s Jim Lovell
Astronaut Lovell never attended Auburn University, but another Jim Lovell did, sometimes causing a second look by enough internet searchers that the university at times would begin his introduction by distinguishing between the two.
Auburn’s Jim Lovell earned a spotlight in his own right.
His career began as an athletic trainer, with him steadily climbing the ranks. He spent the 2021 Major League Baseball season as the Director of Travel for the World Champion Atlanta Braves.
That Jim Lovell has two degrees from Auburn, and in the late 1980s worked with the Auburn football team.
All Jim Lovells aside, Auburn University does indeed have strong connections to NASA.
Auburn graduates who became astronauts and flew in space for NASA include famous space-travel names such as Ken Mattingly, Hank Hartsfield, Jan Davis, Kathyrn Thornton, Clifton Curtis Williams and Jim Voss.
Auburn astronauts (Auburn University)
The university also contributes to a wide range of space research and development projects connected to national security.
“Auburn’s reputation for helping the nation remain the dominant power in space is pretty well known,” said Steve Taylor, the university’s senior vice president for research and economic development, in earlier news stories. “Our relationship with NASA, of course, is practically second to none among universities.”
Troy Turner is the founder, editor-in-chief and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
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