A giant among men
What made Neil Armstrong a giant among men was his utter refusal to be seduced by the cult of celebrity after his historic “small step” for man on the moon that was “one giant leap for mankind” way back in 1969.
The Apollo 11 crew’s landmark achievement came at the height of the Cold War, yet Armstrong and his colleagues generously paid tribute to the efforts of both Soviet and American spacemen who had died in the effort to reach where they had. A biographer quoted Janet, his first wife, to note how Armstrong never took advantage of his fame: “Yes, but look what it’s done to him inside. He feels guilty he got all the acclaim for an effort (by) thousands of people.”
Many in his position would happily have converted their celebrityhood into a multi-million-dollar industry. This man of science was of a different timbre. From the moon’s rarefied atmosphere, he went into the classroom to teach rather than commercially exploit his exalted status as first man on the moon, with Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin close behind, while Michael Collins selflessly sat back in the command module. US President Barack Obama is under pressure to accord the iconic space hero a state funeral, which America does only for its Presidents (an exception being Gen. Douglas MacArthur). This is something neither Armstrong, the reluctant hero, nor his family would have ever sought or wanted, given the extent of his self-effacing personality. They don’t make men like Neil Armstrong any more!
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