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Roz remembering Harry ...

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One of my favorite memories is a day when Harry and I took the train from Alhambra into downtown L.A. and went to the movies, then to a Thrifty Drug for lemonades before taking the train back. I was 11 and Harry was only 8. We were taking the train into downtown Boston by ourselves when I was 7 or 8 and Harry was 4 or 5. Could not let kids do that today.

Memories from Niece Heather

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  • Swimming at Grandma Gobler's pool and he would always pick me up and throw me into the pool and I would scream and laugh.

  • When he lived in Vegas he took Tracy and I to the candy store in Circus Circus and he let us loose to pick whatever we wanted and all the candy was in huge barrels.  We went crazy and filled out bags.  Of course we ate way to much candy on the drive home and got sick.

  • When Dayne was born, he s ent the cutest little Nasa astronaut outfit. Dayne still has the outfit in his baby time capsule, it was the most awesome little shirt and pants. I wish I had a photo to share.

  • Harry also gave Dayne a wonderful pocket watch with a train on it.  Dayne has it today and will treasure it forever.  We had such a great time at the railroad museum with Harry. I am very thankful Dayne got to known him.

  • Last memory..... Harry sent Dayne a winne the poo stuffed animal toy that was dressed like a skeleton for halloween.  Again, it was the cutest! I actually have it and it was one of the items that made it to Florida with me. I just placed "winnie" on the coffee table as a memorial to Harry.

Memories from Niece Debbie

One of my clearest childhood memories of my Uncle Harry is of him giving me a Gaylord the Hound as a present.  This toy was at once lovable and a little bit "spooky" because it moved, albeit ever so slowly, on its own. (At that young age I didn't understand that a battery was doing the work!)  I was fascinated as Harry---ever the engineer---helped me devise places for Gaylord to "go"...my favorite being a staircase made of books.  (We have no family photos of this episode, but I've attached one of Gaylord to show what I'm talking about!)

Another from Debbie About Her Uncle from NASA ...

 

In the 80s I was the Manager of Energy Services for the City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU), with an office on the 4th floor of City Hall and many close colleagues who'd been there for decades along with me.  Over the years, they'd all heard about my "Uncle Harry from NASA" and I'd often shared with them space photos and humorous articles that Harry had sent me.  But even though NASA Ames Research facility where Harry worked was in Mountain View, just a few miles from Palo Alto, Harry and I never had gotten together during a "work day."  

 

One day, on the spur of the moment while driving near Palo Alto, Harry decided it would be fun to head my way and say hello.  He came up to the 3rd floor CPAU reception desk and quickly flashing his NASA badge at the secretary, said in a stern tone that he was from the federal government and needed to immediately speak with "Debra Susan Katz if she was still on the premises."  

 

The startled secretary asked him to please wait a moment and scurried down to my office; and then in a hushed tone said "there's someone from the government here to see you.  He seems irritated--you might be in some kind of trouble."  I told her I doubted it, but did feel a bit nervous as I walked out into the main lobby.

 

"Oh, my God!" I shouted as I turned the corner, "It's my Uncle Harry!"  And I ran to him and gave him a big hug, with both of us laughing over his humorous way of making his presence known.  I hadn't realized just how loud I'd yelled my greeting until suddenly colleagues of mine from offices all over the 4th floor came pouring into the lobby area to finally meet this "legendary" relative of mine.

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