NASA astronaut and Cal Poly alum Victor Glover packed the Performing Arts Center auditorium, all the way up to the balcony seats, with stories about how he got to the moon and back, and who helped him achieve his goals.
Glover's reason for being in San Luis Obispo was simpler than most in the audience may have realized.
"Were you here this weekend, moving students out like the rest of us parents?” KSBY Reporter Jessica Roe asked Glover.
“That is the whole reason all of this is happening. I was here this weekend for Mustang move out, and when I told Cal Poly I was going to be here anyway, all of this happened," Glover said.
When asked what happens in the seconds before liftoff, Glover described a personal ritual.
"Before I get into any aircraft, spacecraft, any challenging spacecraft, I say a prayer, and I let my ladies know that I love them, and so I think about my grandparents, my parents, I think about my wife, and I think about my four daughters," Glover said.
He also had news to share about his youngest daughter, who is currently in high school.
"Do you think you'll have a fourth Mustang?” Roe asked.
“We do!” said Glover, beaming with a smile. “She'll be here in August.”
His distinguished guests watched Glover’s speech from the balcony as he delivered the same advice to the audience that he had given to them.
"I've learned that there's making the right choice, but maybe more control each of us has is about making the choice right," Glover said.
Glover's path took him from a Navy test pilot to NASA, where he has witnessed the wonders of the universe. He also kept things lighthearted, revealing he owns six of his signature blue space suits, and that for this trip to California, he packed three of them, along with a pair of NASA-branded orange shoes.
He kept the crowd engaged and ended on a laugh.
"You want me to nerd out? Let's talk about the toilet!" Glover said at the end of his speech.
A link to his full speech is available on Cal Poly’s YouTube channel, which can be found at THIS LINK.
If you have a story idea you would like to send to KSBY Reporter Jessica Roe, you can reach her directly via email at jessica.roe@ksby.com.
