Jan. 30, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - There will be 15-minute service on Friday at 8:45 a.m. to remember the late Willie McCool at the newly constructed marker in his memory on the cross country course. All are encouraged to attend the service.

Five years ago on Feb. 1, McCool, a 1983 graduate of the Naval Academy, was one of the seven astronauts onboard the Space Shuttle Columbia that perished above Earth upon re-entry. Selected by NASA in April 1996, McCool was making his first spaceflight.

The Willie McCool Memorial on the cross country course is located at the spot 16 minutes from the finish line during his best time on the USNA Cross Country Course in 1982, a 24:27 clocking. The last audible transmission from the Columbia tragedy came at 8:59 a.m. - 16 minutes from the shuttle's scheduled landing.

While running on the Navy cross country and track teams, McCool earned a total of five varsity letters. He captained the 1982 cross country team and his best showing on Navy's home trail remains as one of the 30-fastest Navy times in course history.

On Saturday, the Navy men's track & field team will take on Army in the annual Star Meet, starting at 11:30 a.m. with the field events and at 12 noon with the track events. The action will be the final meet in Halsey Field House, as the Midshipmen will move into the 140,000-square-foot, $45 million Wesley Brown Field House in 2008-09.