GEMINI IV CREW - EPHEMERA UNSIGNED CIRCA 1965 WITH BRIGADIER GENERAL JAMES A. McDIVITT, LT. COLONEL EDWARD H. WHITE II - HFSID 283669

GEMINI IV CREW: EDWARD H. WHITE II and JAMES McDIVITT
This extremely rare piece of space history is a Great Seal of the State of Florida presented to Gemini IV crewmember Edward H. White II, the first American to make a spacewalk. Accompanied by an printed copy of an Associated Press photo of crewmember James McDivitt holding a similar seal. This seal belonged to White and comes with a photocopy of the letter of provenance from his son Edward H. White III!
Ephemera unsigned. 12-inch diameter metal seal mounted on a 15¼x17 wood plaque with beveled edges. Gold-colored Great Seal of the State of Florida. Metal plate at top edge of plaque reads: "Astronaut Edward H. White II". Metal plate at bottom edge reads: "A Token of Friendship From/The People of Florida/Haydon Burns/Governor". Lightly soiled, scratched and dented. Light chipping and dents along edges. Corners are lightly worn and rounded. Otherwise in fine condition. Accompanied by 2 items: 1) Printed, Unsigned photograph. B/w, 9¾x8 overall, 7¾x6¼ image, one surface. Associated Press wire photo, datelined Mayport, Florida, June 10. Caption at left edge in part: "SPACEMEN HONORED - Astronaut James McDivitt holds aloft a plaque of the great seal of the state of Florida which was presented to him by Florida Gov. Haydon Burns after their arrival at May-port, Fla., today. Edward White II, foreground, received a duplicate plaque." Lightly toned, cracked, creased and bowed, otherwise in fine condition. 2) Photocopy of a typed letter signed "Edward H White III" in purple ink. 1 page, 8½x10¾. Headed: "Certificate of Authenticity". In full: "To Whom it May Concern: This plaque containing the Seal of the State of Florida was presented to my father by the Governor of Florida upon his arrival after three days of debriefing at sea aboard the U.S. Carrier Wasp. It was the first presentation of its kind and the first to the Gemini IV crew after their arrival in the United States. This plaque has been in my father's possession or part of the Edward H. White II Estate since the presentation on June 10, 1965." Lightly toned, creased and bowed, otherwise in fine condition. McDivitt and White were the crew for NASA's Gemini IV mission, which lasted from June 3 to June 7, 1965. The flight is notable because it included the first American spacewalk, by White, on June 3. The Soviet Union had beaten the U. S. in the spacewalk race when Russian cosmonaut Alexi Leonov made the very first on March 18, 1965. However, White was the first human to maneuver himself during a spacewalk by using a handheld maneuvering unit. Both astronauts received numerous awards on their return to Earth, including a promotion to lieutenant colonel and a NASA Exceptional Service Medal from President Lyndon Baines Johnson, a ticker tape parade in Chicago and honorary doctorate degrees in astronautical science from the University of Michigan for both White and McDivitt, who were alumni. WHITE (1930-1967) was named as a member of the astronaut team selected by NASA in September 1962. He was pilot for Gemini IV, which was a 66-revolution, four-day mission that began on June 3 and ended on June 7, 1965. During the third revolution, he carried out the first extra vehicular activity (EVA) in the U.S. manned space flight program. He was outside Gemini IV for 21 minutes, and became the first man to control himself in space during EVA with a maneuvering unit. On March 21, 1966, he was named as one of the pilots of the AS-204 mission, the first 3-man Apollo flight. White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee died on Jan. 27, 1967 in the Apollo spacecraft flash fire during a launch pad test at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. McDIVITT (1929-2022), a Korean War combat pilot, was selected as an astronaut by NASA in September of 1962. He served as Command Pilot for Gemini IV (June 3 to 7, 1965) and Commander of Apollo IX(a ten-day earth orbital flight launched on March 3, 1969). Gemini IV witnessed the first EVA (spacewalk) by Edward White, while Apollo IX featured the first separation and docking of the lunar module (LEM) by Russell Schweickart. Named Manger of the Apollo Spacecraft Program in August of 1969, he was Program Manager for the Apollo XII to Apollo XVI missions. McDivitt retired from the Air Force as a Brigadier General in June 1972, when he also left NASA for the private sector.