NORMAN VINCENT PEALE - AUTOGRAPHED INSCRIBED PHOTOGRAPH - HFSID 289773

NORMAN VINCENT PEALE
Photo inscribed to ill-fated astronaut Ed White, from his personal collection.
Photograph inscribed and signed: "To Col. Edward H. White II/With admiration and high esteem/Norman Vincent Peale". B/w 10x8. Peale is shown in the center, flanked by two other men, one in clerical garb. NORMAN VINCENT PEALE (1898-1993, born in Bowersville, Ohio) was pastor of the Marble Collegiate Church of Manhattan for 52 years. He wrote several books, the most famous being The Power of Positive Thinking (1952), which stayed on the best seller lists for 3½ years. He edited a newsletter and hosted a long-running radio program, The Art of Living (1935-1989). Peale urged voters not to support John F. Kennedy because he was Catholic, and not to support Adlai Stevenson because he was divorced. He had apparently overcome the latter reservation by the time he accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Reagan in 1984. Edward H. White II (1930-1967) was the first man to walk in space, a feat accomplished during the Gemini 4 mission (June 3, 1965). White was so exhilarated by his space walk that he had to be ordered back into the spacecraft. White died in the tragic capsule fire during a pre-launch test of the Apollo space capsule (January 27, 1967). His sacrifice was not in vain, however, the fire revealed significant flaws on Apollo's design which were remedied before future missions. This photo was part of Lt. Colonel White's personal collection.Ink stamp on verso. Fine condition.