Public Relations That Worked

I never met Julian Scheer, but I met his brother George Fabian Scheer, Jr., and knew his nephew George Fabian Scheer III. The latter two were associated with Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, where I worked in the mid-1980s.

Julian Weisel Scheer (1926-2001) was a key supporter and proponent of NASA. He'd been an energetic reporter covering the space program when, in 1963, he became NASA's Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs. He helped shape NASA's positive and exciting image in an inclusive way, actively drawing in news reporters and the average person alike. He seems to have believed that being transparent with developments was a better way of communicating the Apollo Moon program than any form of sugar coating. It was a dangerous mission to go to the Moon, but nonetheless, the Apollo 11 Moon landing should be covered live -- despite the risks. And he was right.

What NASA needs again is such a PR powerhouse as Julian Scheer. The Final Frontier should be inherently exciting, but without strong PR, NASA's efforts are drowned in the white noise of everything else. After all, isn't NASA more important than Jon & Kate Plus Eight? If not, we're not living on Earth, we're living in Hell.

Today's Rune: The Mystery Rune.